


Snippetgear

by ChrisWrites



Category: Senki Zesshou Symphogear
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-05
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2018-04-25 01:10:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 22,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4940938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChrisWrites/pseuds/ChrisWrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Collection of Symphogear drabbles that are too short to be posted on their own</p><p>Chapter 1: Carol and Elfnein - "Papa"<br/>Chapter 2: Tsubamari - busted<br/>Chapter 3: Carol - burning<br/>Chapter 4: Carolnein - closeness<br/>Chapter 5: Chris and Carol - vocabulary<br/>Chapter 6: Carolnein - snow<br/>Chapter 7: Kanatsubamari - recording<br/>Chapter 8: Kanatsubamari + Chris - trauma<br/>Chapter 9: Carolnein - personal space<br/>Chapter 10: Tsubasa - unhappy marriage<br/>Chapter 11: DMJii - thunder<br/>Chapter 12: Tsubamari - passion<br/>Chapter 13: DMJii plus Chris - wandering thoughts<br/>Chapter 14: Carolnein - pets<br/>Chapter 15: DMJii - also busted</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Carol and Elfnein - "Papa"

Elfnein passed by Carol’s study again, no destination in mind; the journey itself was the goal. She had been making a round through the hall at regular intervals, taking care to walk slowly past Carol’s door each time. At first it started with the quietest sound of her quill pen scratching on paper and pages flipping when she was here by chance. The sound of a fist banging on wood was what caught her attention, followed by a frustrated yell.

It was still early, and Elfnein knew Carol didn’t want to be bothered. But that didn’t stop her from succumbing to the convenient urge to pace the hallways. It was still quiet her first several times, and then the soft angered groaning became more frequent, as did Elfnein’s trips.

Around the sixth visit, there was a new, unmistakable sound. Carol was crying. Elfnein stopped to listen, hovering her hand above the door’s handle. At a time like this, someone would want comfort, but was that what Carol would want? She was always so distant, and the last time Elfnein tried to console her she was chased off and threatened, but it had been some time since then.

In the end, she gripped the handle and took a deep breath, but let go and turned back to her room. Soon after she was back at the door, and Carol was still crying; again, she turned away and returned to her own quarters. The next visit, she heard nothing but muffled sniffling, and the next, nothing.

This time when she took the handle, she pushed it open centimeter by centimeter, peeking in through the crack. “Carol?” she whispered.

No response, she opened it another inch and repeated herself a little more loudly. Carol was at her desk, hunched over onto its surface with her face buried in her arms. Elfnein stepped into the room, assuming she was asleep.

Receiving no reaction for entering, Elfnein walked closer. Moving Carol to bed several rooms away would be impossible without waking her up, and if she had cried herself to sleep she wouldn’t want to be woken up. Making as little sound as possible, she crept up to her and took her robe off the back of the chair and draped it over Carol’s shoulders.

Elfnein tensed when Carol curled into herself tighter, and didn’t realize how tightly wound she’d become until she relaxed after Carol remained still. Carefully, she placed a hand on top of her head in a comforting way, hoping to reach through to her for a happy dream. She yanked her hand back when Carol stirred again, mumbling, “Papa….”

Any time Carol was upset like this, Elfnein assumed it was over their papa. Well, Carol’s papa, but with their shared memories it was hard not to think of him as her own. She wasn’t exactly sure how long ago it happened, only that it did.

Elfnein had, had the nightmares too, when she was first given the memories. To be born with a full consciousness and her first memories being both love and loss, it was too much for her infant body. She pulled through for Carol’s sake, being told that she needed to keep the memories of their – her – papa safe.

She risked disturbing her to pull the robe up higher to her neck, gently tucking it under her arms like one might tuck someone into bed. Careful to not wake her, she slowly pulled the book she was resting on out from under her and set it aside so the pages wouldn’t crease, and then capped the inkwell. Carol mumbled again, and Elfnein stepped back behind the chair out of sight.

“Elf…nein?” Carol’s head turned the slightest, and Elfnein wasn’t sure if she could see her, or if she was even awake. “You shouldn’t be in here.” It was hard to understand, her voice was so laden with drowsiness.

Neither of them spoke for several moments, Elfnein practically holding her breath to stay quiet. When Carol didn’t follow it up with anything, she backed away towards the door again, to leave her in peace. All she allowed herself was a whispered, “Good night, Carol,” as she pulled it closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on this fanart: https://twitter.com/akiot/status/628202405562159104/photo/1


	2. Tsubamari - busted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsubamari - busted

“How about this one? _Kitten Vine Compilation._ ” Kirika opened the video on her phone and tilted it so Shirabe could see. Shirabe looked up from her own phone, which was also filled with cat videos on the TouYube app.

They watched several of the vines when Shirabe said, “It’s mostly music clips.”

“Yeah, I thought it’d be cuter.” Kirika closed it to find a better one. Six seconds of wobbling kittens set to American music she didn’t completely understand got old fast. 

“ _Big doge licks smol friend,_ ” Shirabe read aloud. Kirika leaned in at the promising title, and gave an “aww” as a large dog – a German shepherd? – bathed a tiny kitten with its tongue.

It didn’t last long, and they returned to their own phones. Soon after, Kirika found another. “ _Baby kitten’s first bath._ ” Again, Shirabe paused her own scrolling to take a look.

“It’s cute.” Shirabe always reacted less strongly than Kirika, whose reaction ranged from squealing and fawning to overwhelmed bouncing.

“I thought it’d be more exciting though, cat bath videos are usually hilarious. I bet there’s one linked.” She left it to look through the related videos. “What’s this thumbnail? _If you like kitty you’ll LOVE baby kitten._ ”

“Click on it and see?” Shirabe didn’t have an answer either, it was a close-up of something pinkish?

What greeted them wasn’t a small cat, but a nude girl. Kirika made a shocked noise as she reached out to the girl on the bed next to her, lifting her skirt and- “Eh!?” She dropped the phone in surprised and scrambled to pick it back up and turn it off before anyone could overhear them.

“That’s not a kitten,” Shirabe said plainly.

“I know that!” She retained a firmer grasp on the phone this time, pausing it and scrolling down to the description. “Ohh where’s the report button on mobile?”

“Wait” Shirabe pulled the screen back up to unpause it. “Listen.”

“Don’t tell me you’re getting into this!” Kirika left it, but her face warmed and she avoided looking at Shirabe or the screen directly.

“No, it sounds familiar. Where have we heard this?”

“Huh?” Now that she mentioned it, the loud breathy moans weren’t a new noise for her, but she couldn’t remember why it was so fresh in her memory. “I mean, it sounds kinda like when you get hurt real bad, maybe it’s just that.”

“Maria,” she said suddenly. “Her dressing room.”

“What? When was- _oh!_ ” Oh no. Last week, when they’d heard some confusing and mysterious noises when they passed by Maria’s dressing room before a show. Kirika paused the video as if that would erase the memory. “You mean she….” Oh no.

“Should we tell her?”

“Yeah, she needs to know we know!” At the very least, Maria needed to know she should never, ever do that when they would possibly be in earshot. “Come on, Shirabe.” She took her by the wrist and hopped off the bed, marching directly to Maria’s bedroom.

Kirika reached for the knob of the closed door, but Shirabe jerked her away by the back of the shirt. Before she could ask why, she put two and two together; if the door was closed, there might have been certain… _activities_ going on again. Shirabe knocked before she could get too lost in that thought.

Thankfully they were met by an immediate, calm, “Come in.” They entered, and Maria lounged at the foot of the bed, and Tsubasa wasn’t far away sitting in the desk chair. Both turned to look towards the pair. “Do you two need something?”

“Maria, explain this!” Kirika rushed forward and showed her the paused video, displaying the naked girl with her head under the other’s skirt.

She could tell the exact moment when Maria realized what was on the screen, because her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Maria stammered for a bit before getting out, “What are you two doing online?”

"We were looking at cat videos. Doesn’t matter. What is this?”

“I thought you two had received that talk already.” She wouldn’t look at Kirika or the phone, glancing primarily between a confused Tsubasa and the floor.

“She means this.” Shirabe took the phone and pressed play, bringing the return of the loud moans. “We heard this coming from your dressing room.”

Maria’s face flushed beet red to the tips of her ears, and she looked at Tsubasa, who, now that she understood the situation, looked a little less stoic than before. Tsubasa sighed and hung her head. “I told you that you were too loud, Maria.”

“It’s your fault as well!” She buried her face in her hands, mumbling something in English and groaning. “I’m sorry, girls.”

“Is this what a real relationship is like?” Kirika had done her share of kissing with Shirabe, but never anything that would draw out that kind of noise.

Maria was still blushing a deeper color than her hair, but she put her hands down and tried to look serious. “It can be, once you’re older. You two will have to find that out eventually.”

“Huh.” There was an awkwardness hanging in the room. Kirika turned her attention to the phone to close out of that video before it became too much to bear. When no one said anything, she decided this wasn’t a good place to be. “We’re gonna go now.”

“Please stick to sites more appropriate for your age,” Maria sighed as they left. Kirika decided then and there that she wouldn’t want anything to do with these videos for a long while, lest she taint her image of Maria.

* * *

 

“Tsubasa….” Maria laid face down on the bed, ridden with shame.

“I told you we could have stopped if it was too much.” Tsubasa looked calm, but Maria was familiar enough to recognize the embarrassment on her face.

“If you really were concerned, you could have stopped on your own.” She wondered if Kirika and Shirabe had heard that, how many others knew what they were doing behind closed doors and when? And no one had the decency to tell her.

“When you were enjoying yourself so much and begging me to continue?” Tsubasa smiled, and Maria buried her face in her arms, hiding herself again. Just because she was ashamed didn’t mean she had to torment and blame her.

“We’re going to need to be more careful.” She tried to ignore the jab and acted like she wasn’t bothered. “I wonder if music wouldn’t be suspicious….”

“We could test that out right now.”

“Tsubasa!” Maria threw the pillow she was laying on at her head, catching her off guard and landing a direct hit. “It’s the middle of the day!”

Tsubasa picked the pillow up off the floor and brought it back to the bed, lying next to Maria and planting a soft kiss on her cheek. “The best time to practice is when everyone is around to hear you,” she teased.

Maria sighed as if it was frustrating to deal with her, but she rolled onto her side to take out her phone and open the music app.


	3. Carol - burning

It had been days since an angry crowd of townsfolk took Carol’s father from their home. She was left there, reassured by him that he would be back for her. Taking care of herself wasn’t hard, she’d been able to do everything for the both of them from chores to cooking. But it was lonely without him, and she was starting to doubt whether he would return.

When there was finally a knock on the door, her heart rose and life felt instantly better. She answered it, throwing the door open, and everything sunk into emptiness when it was another group of people she didn’t recognize. They told her that her father had was found guilty as a witch, and she was to come with them.

At first she resisted, argued that he wasn’t a witch – he’d insisted they keep alchemy a secret – and tried to push the much-taller adults out of her house. When they realized she wasn’t coming quietly, a man took her by the wrist. She kicked him in the shin and tried to run back into the house, grabbing the doorframe when someone else pulled her away.

Carol thrashed and flailed and punched and kicked in every direction, demanding she be put down and returned to her home to wait for her father. If any hit landed, it didn’t make a difference to her captors. They took her to a place she’d seen in passing, but had never lingered around because she was always led away by her father. A tall pole surrounded by a ring of wood and sticks, a witch-burning stake.

If her screams could be any louder than they already were, then this is where she reached maximum volume. She had to escape, find her father, and free him so they could run away together. He came in sight, wearing a robe and bound in chains alongside others suited the same, but she couldn’t free herself to get to him, screaming, “Papa!” and hoping he could hear her.

“Papa!” she tried again, trying to be louder. He was the first, led to the stake and the chains were fashioned to it. “Papaaa!”

He spotted her in the crowd – she was finally placed down and held tight by the forearm – and he smiled gently. She tugged and yanked her arm back, but couldn’t free herself. “Papa!”

He was so close to her now, inside the ring of kindling only feet away from her. If only she could reach him, or sneak away and scatter the organized branches, or if she was big enough to fight them off. Even joining him seemed the better option than surviving alone, but they wouldn’t allow her that much.

“In the name of our blessed and beneficent lord,” the magistrate started, and Carol put her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. If she blocked it out, then maybe it wasn’t happening, or she would wake up in her bed with Papa in his room next to hers.

Someone yanked her hard, away from her father and the stake. “Was this one next then?”

“We aren’t sure yet.” Her vision was too blurred from tears to tell who above her was speaking.

“They have denied our God, the Almighty, and his Son our Savior,” the speech continued.

“Best keep her nearby.” Whoever was holding her kept moving, until someone grabbed her other arm and jerked her in the opposite direction.

“She should at least see his soul’s purification.” Her original captor’s grip tightened before she could be taken back.

“Idolaters, blasphemers, heretics, and murderers.” And still the magistrate continued, bringing them that much closer to the end.

“If she’s one of them then there’s no need.” Again, pulled towards the line of accused witches, but held fast by the other.

“Condemned to death by being burned alive at the stake.” With the speech’s finish, the lit torch was held against the fire surrounding her father.

“ _Papaaa!_ ” The flames reached all the way around the ring quickly, the tinder packed between the logs catching instantly. “ _Papa!_ ” It was still low at his knees, but eventually it would reach a lethal height.

The two holding her must have been caught up in their argument, because she was able to break free and run forward, stumbling through and trying to shove past the adults watching Isaac. She had only made it to the front of the crowd just feet away from the fire when someone grabbed her by a fistful of hair.

“You think she’d run if she weren’t guilty?” She was shaken by the back of her collar, but that didn’t stop her struggling nor her screaming.

“You’d run if you just learned your dad was a witch.” This next person held her fast by the wrist, and showed no sign of easing up like the last.

“Papa!” And still she screamed, tears flowing freely and preventing her from getting a clear look at his face one last time.

“Carol,” his familiar voice broke through, loud but not forceful, and surprisingly calm coming from someone in the middle of their execution.

“Papa?” Despite her imperfect vision, she could almost make him out perfectly. Every detail she couldn’t see was filled in by memory; his smile, his gentle eyes, the way the sun beat down and created a heavenly glow behind him when they were in the field.

She was sure he was smiling, even as the fire grew hot enough that she could feel it against her face. “Live on and experience the world.”

“The world?” she tried to answer, but she wasn’t sure if he could hear her, or understand her through the crying.

“That is your- _hrk_.” She couldn’t see his face clearly enough, but imagined his serene smile. “Your-”

“Papa….” He sounded so far away this time, and instead of his voice, she was hearing a progression from uncomfortable grunts to pained groans. That sentence went unfinished. “Papa!”

She didn’t look up this time when someone took her forearm and led her away, instead digging her heels into the ground and reaching out towards Isaac. “ _No! Papa!_ ” Whoever held her only pulled as she slid across the dirt, stomping and trying to find better footing.

When that didn’t work, she ran forward just a couple steps and gave them a swift kick to the shin. At their shout of pain, she expected to be able to run free again, but they only held her tighter; it felt like their handprint might have left a bruise.

“You brat.” They struck her across the face, and she froze for a moment in shock. It stung, already leaving a sore spot she couldn’t ignore. When she came to and realization sunk in, she tried to cry even harder, but found herself unable to surpass her current volume.

Her captor stopped at the wagon where the accused witches were lined up, and she assumed she was to be burned next. She wanted to be happy, that she could join Papa in heaven and see him again so soon instead of being forced to live without him. But instead she was terrified of dying, and the pain, and knowing all these people gathered would enjoy it, just like they were enjoying watching Isaac die now.

He began screaming, much louder than the crackle of the fire. She tried to cover her ears again, leaning in closer to the person who held her wrist near their thigh so that she could reach. If she stared at her feet and focused on the individual grains of dirt, it would give her mind something to hold onto other than the sound penetrating her hands.

More than anything, she wanted to throw herself to the ground and curl up and let it be over quickly. Even more than that actually, she wanted to be in her own bed, where it was quiet. And Papa was in the room next to hers and she didn’t have to block out his dying screams.

She thought she might run out of tears, but they kept coming, leaving the dirt she was standing on and the tops of her shoes patchily damp. It went on forever, but she didn’t dare look and see Isaac. She just had to imagine that he looked like he always did, that she wouldn’t see him after he just didn’t wake up one morning after dying painlessly in his sleep.

The one thing she couldn’t block out was the horrible smell. Like a plain roasting meat at first, a large chunk of pork over an open fire. And then like bacon burnt to the bottom of the pan, combined with something almost like sulfur. She always associated the smell of burning food with her father, but not like this.

At one point she removed her hands from her ears, clutched her stomach, and threw up. Dust mixed with vomit as she spit repeatedly to rid the taste of her mouth, paying no mind to it splattering onto her shoes. And once more the contents of her stomach rose, being subjected to Isaac’s unfiltered pained screaming again. The person holding her jerked her a few feet to the side to get away from it, but she didn’t care how close she was to it at the moment.

She was so dizzy, and the lightness in her head wouldn’t stop even after her hands found their place back over her ears to shut the noise out. An eternity passed when she caught sight of the people in the wagon moving, another victim being led to the stake. The muffled shouts from before weren’t reaching her either, and when she risked listening properly, there was silence aside from the dull roar of the crowd.

Taking a chance, she peeked at where the ring of fire was before and found no sign of her father. There were men throwing logs into a new ring, or perhaps reinforcing the remains of the ring that burned her father. Someone else in a hood was thrown in and chained up. And this repeated, witch after witch until they were all dead, as the realization that her father wasn’t coming back sank in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The result of some thoughts about how not-dark the flashbacks to Isaac's burning were. Namely, the result of a headcanon that Carol remembers a more ideal version, either due to the trauma or time taking its toll on the accuracy.
> 
> For a more accurate image, in a typical witch burning, the accused would be shaved bald, tortured, and probably wouldn't have had his glasses on. It takes a minimum of ten minutes for a ring fire to reach the face, as it had in the flashbacks in the anime, while the legs are being burned/cooked through. From there it takes about five minutes for the victim to die, though the longest reported burning with this method wasn't just 15 minutes, but 45.


	4. Carolnein - closeness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A test to feel out a potential AU/continuation longfic that I decided to upload since it doesn't require much context. At the end of episode 13, both Carol and Elfnein survive separately, Carol retaining her amnesia. Carol attaches to Elfnein in hopes of finding a new self through her.

There wasn’t much to do that day but enjoy the nice weather. Clear blue skies, white fluffy clouds, comfortable tee shirt weather, and a light breeze. Elfnein had chosen to leave the window open to let the cool air in, creating a perfect temperature with the slightest of drafts inside her and Carol’s room.

It was a Sunday before Elfnein had class again for the week, and she said she wanted to finish the last of her homework in Carol’s company. With nothing important to do, Carol read the most recent in a series of children’s books about time-traveling adventures.

The two had stayed there for some time, Carol stretched out on her stomach on the bed, and Elfnein poring over a text book at the desk. It was relaxing at first, being engrossed in her reading with no noise other than birds and the scratching of Elfnein’s pencil on paper. But then she became increasingly aware that she was in the same room as Elfnein, but felt like they were so far apart.

“Hey, Elfnein,” she finally spoke up. Her pencil froze and she turned around in the chair, and Carol felt warmth rise to her cheeks. “Did you…want to study over here?”

Elfnein gave a small sigh and a soft smile. “Sure.” She stood from the desk and pushed the chair in, but took none of her materials.

“But your books, you need those to-” Elfnein laid down next to her, snuggling in close against her and laying an arm across her middle.

“It feels like it’s time for a break.” Another smile, and Carol froze then glanced away. She placed the book pages-down on the end table, rolling onto her side into the hug. “You don’t want to read?”

“I’ll take a break too.” One arm was tucked in close between them, seeking out Elfnein’s hand to touch their fingertips together, and the other returning the lazy hug.

“Mm,” she hummed, a pleased sound. Elfnein raised her arm to the back of Carol’s head, threading her fingers through her hair like she was brushing it. Her heart felt like it should have been racing from this contact, but it slowed down and made her feel incredibly light.

When she was next aware of herself, the sky outside lost its vibrancy and had grey fading into the light blue. And she was heavy, like she had just…. “Elfnein?”

“Ah- hmm?” Her own voice was drowsy, but Elfnein's was chipper and inquisitive.

"Did I fall asleep?"

"Yeah." She smiled and giggled a little, but let Carol go when she pulled away to rub her eyes.

"You should have finished studying." It was shameful to fall asleep like that, but she was also being disruptive.

"But you looked so happy." Elfnein reached over to wind her fingers into Carol's bangs, ruffling them back and forth.

"H- hey," she protested, leaning away, but Elfnein followed her. "Stop being embarrassing."

"I can't help it," she while giggling more. Carol threw herself forward to escape, latching onto her and burying her forehead, and thus her bangs, into the side of her face. Elfnein adjusted, stroking her from the top of her head, down the short braid she'd grown out, all the way down her back.

Carol's heart caught in her throat as her imagination wandered, and wondered if it would be appropriate to test her limits. The two of them both seemed happy, but it wouldn't be the first time she'd misread the situation and crossed a line. She decided to take the risk, and with shaky lips, pressed small kisses to Elfnein's neck.

"Ah...Carol...." Carol hesitated, waiting for Elfnein’s next move, expecting her to squirm in discomfort or push her off. But she felt several kisses placed on top of her head, and she continued.

The hand that was rubbing her back returned to her hair, fingers tangling into it as she massaged her scalp. Elfnein’s light scratching grew more fervent as Carol increased the pace, brushing her lips over every bit of skin she could reach. Slowly, she dragged the tip of her tongue across her smooth neck in a curving motion, ending at the jaw. Elfnein’s fingers scrabbled around before balling into a fist, and Carol ripped her head back. A small “ow” escaped her as she yanked at her hair.

“Ah, sorry!” Elfnein let go and immediately hugged her properly. “I didn’t mean to pull that hard.”

“It’s fine,” she said gently. It didn’t hurt too badly, and it would take far more than that to upset her. She hovered near Elfnein’s face for several moments before bringing their mouths together. They lingered like that while Carol contemplated pulling away, but instead parted her lips slightly in anticipation of furthering the kiss.

Elfnein didn’t reject her, but Carol still leaned back, deep in worry. “Is it okay?” she asked, too shy about the act to raise her voice above a whisper.

In response, Elfnein gave a tiny smile. “It’s okay,” she said in a similar breathy voice, taking the lead this time to interlock her lips with Carol’s. She closed her eyes, lowering her arms to take Carol loosely around the waist, working her mouth against hers. It was all Carol could do to stay still, heart pounding out of her chest as she tried to match Elfnein’s movements.

Carol’s grip on Elfnein gradually grew tighter as the kiss grew in intensity, meeting Elfnein’s tongue with her own, drawing back, venturing forward again as she steeled her courage. Although it was Carol who initiated it, Elfnein had taken the lead now.

Elfnein moved, but didn’t break the kiss like Carol assumed she was going to do. She pushed on her shoulder gently, guiding her onto her back. And Carol obeyed, rolling over and letting herself be straddled as Elfnein leaned over to keep the kiss going, almost laying flat against her chest.

Carol felt her pulse quicken to levels it had never reached before as Elfnein’s hands found their way back to her hair. First brushing her bangs aside, then repeating the action when they bounced back into place, her other hand running through the strands like a brush. She breathed heavily through her nose, increasing the urgency of the kiss.

It was too much for Carol to stand, and she gripped at the back of Elfnein’s shirt, pulling her in closer. She felt something akin to desperation, not wanting but needing her there, to stay like this forever. To feel her against her and draw her in so closely they might as well have been a single person instead of two.

The door flew open, and the two separated with a jolt. Carol threw her head to the side to see Hibiki standing in the entrance, suddenly feeling very vulnerable in her position. Elfnein snapped her head up as well, frozen in place on top of her.

“Hey you two, did you want-” Hibiki paused, looking down at the two of them on the bed. “Ah! Am I interrupting?”

The two both stuttered, but neither could give a proper answer. Elfnein crawled to the side, freeing Carol who sat up and couldn’t look at either of them directly.

“Miku and I wanted to invite you to dinner, but if you’re busy….” She smiled and scratched her cheek, apparently not ashamed that she’d just seen a private moment between the two.

Elfnein gave a half-hearted, “Sure,” while Carol could only nod. The moment had ended too soon, but Carol felt that disappointment lift when Elfnein shot her a small, promising smile.


	5. Chris and Carol - vocabulary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some toying around with that amnesia AU (shown in chapter 4). Chris teaches an innocent Carol some not-so-innocent words.

Chris had been left alone with Carol, and the only way to turn this situation into something that wouldn’t piss her off was to bother her. “So when you and Shorty are in bed,” she said suddenly, “are you top or bottom?”

“Neither, we’re next to each other.” At Chris’s puzzled face, Carol elaborated, “We don’t have a bunk bed.”

Chris snorted and barked out a laugh. “I was talking about sex, brat.”

It was Carol’s turn to look confused. “What’s sex?”

That wasn’t something Chris was ready to answer; stomach dropping in fear that she’d gone too far, she shook her head. “Never mind.”

Carol didn’t accept this answer, and twisted her face into a pout. “You said it, so now you have to tell me.”

“I’m going anywhere else, I’ll come back when someone else is here.” Chris left her seat, but Carol rushed after her.

“Chris! Tell me what sex is!” She half-jogged to keep up with Chris’s fast steps.

“Nah, that can wait.” Chris’s face took on a hint of red.

“If you don’t tell me,” Carol threatened, “then I’ll tell Miss Maria you’re telling me things I’m not supposed to know about.”

Chris groaned, not wanting to get into further trouble for teasing her. “Ok, it’s…an adult word, so you can’t tell anyone.” Carol nodded enthusiastically. “It’s what adults call bonding. Like when they date, or do anything else to bring themselves closer. It’s called sex.”

“Oh, that’s not too bad….” Carol thought on it briefly. “I won’t tell anyone you told me.”

“Good on you, brat.” Chris sighed, as the crisis was averted. Carol, on the other hand, couldn’t wait to tell Elfnein she wanted to try out this adult bonding called “sex.”

\---

It had been awhile since Chris could spend some quality time with Elfnein, who had latched onto her as a senpai figure. She never thought of herself as the type of person to attract a crowd of small children looking for role models, but neither was she complaining that the glove fit. Unfortunately, inviting Elfnein to her place for the weekend meant Carol had tagged along.

Elfnein had insisted on going to the kitchen to put the snacks she’d brought into bowls, despite Chris’s insistence that it was much more convenient to eat chips straight out of the bag. This left her and Carol, who was engrossed in the TV, alone in the living room together while they waited for her.

Chris hadn’t looked up from her mobile game to see what she was doing until she felt a tapping at her knee. “Chris?”

“What is it?” Carol was leaning over to reach her from the opposite side of the couch.

“What’s a bare-skin condom?”

Chris was thankful that Elfnein hadn’t brought any chips or soda out yet, because surely she would have choked on them. “Where’d you learn that word?”

“There was just an ad on TV for ‘bare-skin condoms.’ What is that?” Carol’s face was so innocent, it was hard to think that she was only asking this to embarrass her.

“That’s an adult word.” It wasn’t her job to teach children about the birds and the bees, no matter how old this child actually was.

“I’ll tell Miss Maria you’re letting us watch the adult channels.” Carol looked serious, but by now Chris had seen enough harmless pouting that her threatening face was no longer threatening. But that didn’t mean she wanted to hear a lecture from the others; she would have to start placing stronger restrictions on Carol to keep her own nose clean.

“Alright, alright,” she gave in. “Remember when I told you about sex?”

“Yeah.” Carol’s eyes lit up as she was ready to take in this new forbidden knowledge.

“A condom is something that keeps you safe during sex, like a sweater so that you don’t get a cold, or gloves.” It was a half-truth, but she wasn’t about to be open about it.

“Then it’s…bear skin? Like a grizzly bear?” Her head tilted in confusion.

“Yeah, exactly.” Chris hadn’t thought about how she wasn’t going to explain the “bare skin” part of the phrase, so Carol’s misunderstanding worked in her favor. “It’s probably more expensive to get something made from bear skin, but adult dating costs a lot of money.”

“Should I wear a nice condom for when I go out with Elfnein?”

“I would just call it what it’s called,” Chris suggested worriedly. “Remember, it’s an adult word.”

She deflated a little, but nodded. Elfnein returned before she could say anything else, balancing four large bowls and three soda cans in her arms, and Carol leapt off the couch to help her carry them. Chris restrained from wiping her forehead in a display of relief.

\---

“I don’t see why I have to supervise you kids’ date.” Chris crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair while Carol and Elfnein deliberated over the menu. She’d picked something immediately, but the two couldn’t make up their minds. “What happened to the idiot and her girlfriend?”

“Hibiki-san said she had a last-minute emergency with Miku-san.” Elfnein flipped the menu back to an early page, running through her options again.

“And I’m the only option then? Is this that important?” she asked bitterly.

“We weren’t moving this.” Carol glanced up to glare at her.

“Yeah whatever brat,” Chris huffed. “You two pick something yet?”

“So much looks good,” Elfnein marveled. Her phone started ringing, and her eyes went wide in surprise before she gave Carol an apologetic look. “It’s Genjuuro-san.”

“I can wait.” She smiled at her, granting her permission to take care of professional business. Elfnein smiled back and answered, leaving her seat to take the call outside.

“You see her all the time, why’d you have to bother me for this?” Chris asked the instant Elfnein left the dining hall.

“Dates are special.” She kept her nose in the menu, eyes glancing from side to side. “It’s more important than your plans. You probably weren’t doing anything anyways.”

“You don’t know my life, brat.” Chris took an angry drink of water. “I could’ve had plans.”

“You should enjoy this while it lasts, there’s not any other girls taking you out for dinner dates.” Carol’s smile returned, pleased with herself for being able to take that dig.

“Watch that smartass mouth.” Sitting alone at home wasn’t so bad when the alternative was remaining calm after Carol blew her straw wrapper into her face. “Did the idiot say why she canceled?”

“Just that there was an emergency.” Elfnein politely hadn’t pried, leaving the both of them curious and unsatisfied.

“Couldn’t have been the Noise, or I would’ve gotten out of this.” Chris made a disgusted face. “Emergency fisting, how important.”

“I don’t think Hibiki and Miku would ever hit each other.” Even Carol had noticed how close and docile the pair were, and tried to model herself after them for a successful long-term relationship.

“Hit? What? I said-” The realization came suddenly, that Carol was greatly misunderstanding a vital word, and there were few greater struggles than Chris trying to keep a straight face. “Yeah, you’re right, those softies would never fist each other.”

Carol returned to the menu, but Chris wasn’t done with her. “So you wouldn’t fist Shorty, right?”

“Of course not,” she said readily; she would sooner die than hurt Elfnein.

“Even if she asked for it?” A smile tugged at the corners of Chris’s lips.

The glare she received was legendary. “I’ll fist you if you don’t leave me alone.” That was too much for Chris to keep quiet through, and she started snickering. “Would you take me seriously?” Carol demanded.

“Trust me brat, I definitely don’t want you to ever, ever fist me.” She cut the grin when she saw Elfnein come back from behind Carol, crouching down to give her a loose hug and kiss on the cheek. Carol’s frustration dissolved, and she leaned into it for the moment before Elfnein returned to her own seat.

“Sorry, Genjuuro-san wanted to know where I left something.” Her genuine smile was a relief from Carol’s smugness and Chris’s grating personality, to each other. “You two weren’t fighting, were you?”

“Not unless you count me rushing her to decide already,” Chris covered for them.

“Well, I haven’t decided either, so it’s no problem if Carol hasn’t.” Elfnein knew Chris wouldn’t get mad at her, and sometimes stepped in between them when they argued.

“Damn slowpokes,” Chris grumbled, but had become calmer already since Elfnein returned, and the dinner date had regained its peaceful atmosphere.

\---

A lunch outing had been planned between Carol, Elfnein, and the Symphogear wielders, but they’d forgotten to plan where exactly to go. The problem wasn’t disagreement, but a mutual indecisiveness. Every time a suggestion was made, a new suggestion would sway them in that direction, and they had gone nowhere.

“What about Flower?” Elfnein suggested. “Hibiki-san and Miku-san speak so highly of it, but Carol and I have only been once.”

“Oh, it could be nice to go as a group for once.” Miku smiled and looked at Hibiki.

“I don’t think we’ve all gone together before!” Hibiki buzzed with the rest of them, and it seemed Elfnein finally narrowed down their lunch destination.

“You liked that place, right Carol?” Elfnein asked her.

Carol nodded, saying, “Yeah, okonomiyaki is my fetish.”

The dull roar of agreement fell silent, aside from Maria choking loudly and Chris howling with laughter. Kirika giggled and whispered something to Shirabe, who whispered back. The others met her with confused and shocked stares.

“What?” Carol shrunk back, clasped her hands together in her lap, and diverted her gaze away from their stares.

“Carol, do you….” Maria shot Chris a hard stare to quiet her. “Do you know what that means?”

“It means you like something a lot,” she said in a small voice. “Chris said I have an Elfnein fetish, and that it means I like her.” Chris’s laughter wasn’t stifled for long, and it picked back up in volume following Carol’s explanation. Elfnein placed a hand over her mouth in concern.

The other girls rounded onto Chris, who didn’t seem to care there were so many people yelling her name. She waved a hand dismissively in front of her, holding a hand over her mouth and taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself enough to speak.

"That's not something you should say," Elfnein told her as an aside while Chris was gathering herself.

"But I _do_ really like you." Carol tilted her head in confusion and furrowed her brow, not sure why anyone would object.

"It doesn't meant that though, it means, um..." Elfnein's eyes shifted from side to side, "like for sex."

"But haven't we had a lot of sex already?"

"What?" Elfnein paled, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"We went on a date, and I kissed you a lot," Carol stated factually.

"That's..." Elfnein buried her forehead in her palm. "You might be confused."

"Was Chris lying to me?" That was easy for her to believe.

"Maybe. It might be complicated." Elfnein threw a glance at the others, who were still berating a shameless Chris. "We can talk about it later, after lunch."

Carol made a mental note to never trust anything Chris said in confidentiality after this.


	6. Carolnein - snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More toying around with the in-progress Amnesia AU. Late Christmas fic, just carolnein fluff with gifts and snow

Even though Elfnein was instructed to not work on the days before Christmas, she’d been waking up early so that when responsibilities resumed she would already be on a proper schedule. Carol had attempted to follow her example, but still woke up late some days, including today. She still had her face pressed into the mattress, curled into Elfnein’s side peacefully.

Elfnein wiggled herself away from Carol, moving as slowly as possible to not wake her. Not only did she just want to let her sleep as long as she needed, Carol could be demanding and make it hard for Elfnein to leave bed when she woke up next to her. She shifted in her sleep, gripping the blanket and pulling it to herself.

The blinds had been left open from the previous night, and Elfnein went to close them, the cold radiating from the glass window sharp against her hand. Before she could pull them closed, she noticed the ice piling up on the rim outside, and the flecks of white in the sky.

She immediately went back to the bedside, shaking Carol awake. “Carol, wake up,” she tried to say gently despite her excitement. “It’s snowing outside.”

Carol groaned sleepily, but rolled over to her other side so she could look up at Elfnein with half-lidded eyes. She smiled and reached for her hand, rubbing her eyes and mumbling, “Morning.”

“Good morning,” Elfnein returned. “Get up, come look.” She pulled Carol out of bed, who struggled to find her coordination so soon after waking. But this couldn’t wait, there was no telling how long it would last given how light it was coming down.

“What is it?” She was still rubbing her eyes, and squinted to see it better. “Is that…snow?”

“Yes.” Elfnein had memories of snow, and had seen it while in Japan, but until now never realized that she hadn’t _experienced_ it. Carol leaned up against her as she oriented herself, eyes wide when she wasn’t blinking the sleep away. “How is it?”

“Hard to see,” she admitted. Elfnein suspected Carol would have an easier time seeing it if she would stop dozing back off on her shoulder, and that gave her an idea.

“Do you want to go outside?” Technically she wasn’t allowed to take Carol outside the building without someone else supervising, but they didn’t need to go far. Seeing as it was Christmas, almost, surely no one would mind if they just stepped outside the door for a little while.

Carol nodded and left Elfnein’s side to retrieve her shoes from their spot next to the door. While Elfnein reached for her own, Carol stopped her with a, “Wait.” Elfnein watched her dig under the bed, and she asked, “Is it okay if I give you your Christmas present early?”

“You got me a present?” It sounded obvious, and Elfnein had planned something for her as well, but somehow it never occurred to her that it would really happen.

After a moment, Carol stood back up holding a sizable lump wrapped in gift paper. “If you’re gonna go outside…and I want to give you a present before anyone else.” She thrust it forward into Elfnein’s chest.

It was soft, and she stared at it for some time while Carol watched her expectantly. “Are you going to open it?”

She pressed her thumb into the paper to create a tear, revealing feather-soft blue wool. The pile unraveled and one end of the length fell to the floor. It was knitted messily with uneven stitches, and one end was knotted like she wasn’t sure how to tie it off properly. Before she could ask what it was, Carol said, “It’s a scarf. I made it, with Miss Maria’s help.” Her voice trailed off near the end, and she fiddled with her hands. “I didn’t know what color you would want, so it’s supposed to match your eyes.”

“Carol, I….” Elfnein’s heart swelled before her throat closed up, and her eyes burned for a moment when tears slid down her cheeks. She pressed the scarf into her face in embarrassment.

“Sorry, I knew you wouldn’t like it….” Carol sounded like she was about to follow her lead and also cry.

“No, I love it.” It was hard to sound convincing when her voice was so unsteady. “I’m just really happy. I’ve never gotten a Christmas present before.”

“Never?” Elfnein shook her head; while did have the memories of exchanging gifts with their father, and of making him small gifts a child was capable of, such as ornaments for their tree, she’d never personally celebrated a holiday. And even if she did count Carol’s memories, it had been centuries since then.

“Then I’m glad I was your first.” Carol shuffled forward to wipe the tears off Elfnein’s face, but kept her gaze cast to the floor. "It's going to be cold outside, so you can wear it."

"I'd be glad to." She wrapped it around her neck, although it was at least a foot too long, and she couldn’t help but think about how the person who created artificial humans, including herself, now couldn’t manage a basic scarf. The yarn used was so soft she could barely feel it against her skin, but it was warm and would feel nice out in the snow. Carol put her shoes on without changing out of her pajamas, so Elfnein didn't feel the need to hold her up even longer by changing herself.

Carol held her hand tightly as they walked down the halls to the exit, pressed against her side so closely it made it difficult to walk straight. Usually she was slow and reluctant when they left the room, but today Elfnein had to rush to keep up with her. Snowy weather in Tokyo didn't often last long, so she didn't feel it would be right to slow her down.

When they opened the doors to leave the building, Elfnein was immediately thankful that she wore sweats to bed. The cold would have been bad enough on its own, but there was a light breeze that practically numbed her face immediately. Carol didn’t seem bothered as she stared up at the sky, but huddled closer as her arms broke out in goosebumps.

“It’s so pretty,” she said in wonder.

“Yeah.” Elfnein stared at the snowfall at first, but took a glance at Carol and couldn’t pull her eyes away. She worried she was about to cry again, looking at her innocent, awe-stricken face that she still hadn’t adjusted to seeing.

Carol held out her hand to catch some of the snowflakes, but they melted upon meeting the heat of her hand. There were several in her hair and resting on her shoulders though, like someone had blown flour or white glitter on her.

“Snowflakes are really cool up close,” she said, knowing Carol would appreciate learning a new fact. “Looking at them like this, they’re identical, but they’re actually really different.”

As if she could see them, Carol squinted at the ones fallen onto her sleeve. “So they’re like us?”

“I guess so.” She turned back to look skyward again when she felt Carol scoot even closer, clutching her arm.

“It’s cold out here, isn’t it?” Her face was buried into Elfnein’s shoulder, and she squeezed her hand.

“You could have put warmer clothes on before leaving.” Elfnein pulled her arm free and released Carol’s hand so that she could take her into a hug.

“I wanted to come see the snow with you.” Carol maneuvered herself to hug her back, keeping her in a tight grip.

“We can watch it from inside,” she offered, although she didn’t expect that offer to be taken.

“No, I want to be out in it, with you.” Her grip loosened a slight bit, and she lifted her head to press her forehead against Elfnein’s; she caught sight of a smile. “And you’re warm enough, like sunshine.”

“Sunshine?” It sounded familiar, but not like something Carol would have said unprompted.

“I heard Hibiki call Miku her sunshine.” It was hard to tell when they were this close but she might have started blushing. “And she looked really happy.”

Elfnein couldn’t help but giggle at how hard she was trying to do the right thing, and while it was funny, she appreciated these honest attempts. “That’s sweet, but I don’t want to hear what Hibiki thinks. I want to hear what you think.”

“I don’t know,” she mumbled. “I just think you’re really great, I don’t know how to say anything special.”

In response, Elfnein tilted her head to kiss her, lingering for some time and gently pulling Carol closer to her. When she separated, she smiled and told her, “That’s all I want to hear from you. You’re great, too.”

Carol met Elfnein’s eyes for a brief second before flitting away like she was embarrassed. After several moments of silence, she pressed forward to meet Elfnein’s lips again, returning to her tight hold like Elfnein might try to escape. Not long ago, this might have broken her down, bringing back memories of Carol’s former aggression, but the desperate clinging was endearing and heart melting now.

Elfnein asked to deepen the kiss first, parting her lips and leaving them open against hers. Carol met her tongue enthusiastically, breathing out heavily through her nose like she was sighing. She’d gotten much less timid about this the past month, and while Elfnein thought she might not be able to handle Carol moving beyond total passiveness, she retained a certain gentleness that made her feel safe when giving in completely.

The fact that they were outside in the cold became irrelevant as her heart rate quickened, warming her thoroughly. Maybe it was her own heart pounding against her breastbone, but she was sure she could feel Carol’s quickly beating in pace with hers. They couldn’t be any physically closer than they already were, but Carol still gripped her pajama top in her fists like she would do anything to hold her in place.

Sometimes the tip of Carol’s nose would brush against Elfnein’s cheek, and after a few times she broke the kiss off laughing. “What’s wrong?” Carol asked, concern plain on her face.

“Your nose is so cold.” It wouldn’t be worth laughing about in any other situation, but something about that frozen bit of skin against her flushed face put her into a light giggle fit, despite the intimate moment.

“Well it’s cold outside….” Carol covered herself, embarrassed; Elfnein pulled her hand away to kiss her nose, smiling again at the icy sensation against her previously-warm lips.

Carol turned her head away with a flustered noise; something caught her attention and she looked upwards. “Oh…the snow stopped.”

“We must’ve caught the end of it.” Elfnein followed her gaze to the grey sky, but didn’t let go of her. “Maybe we can ask Genjuuro-san if he’ll let us visit Nagoya to see a real snow.”

“Is there more there?” She returned to looking at the snowflakes collected on her clothing.

“The Chubu region is mountainous, so there should be.” Carol was quiet, but Elfnein noticed her eyes light up. “Do you want to go back inside?”

“Okay.” With visible reluctance, Carol released her, immediately taking her hand before they were fully separated. Elfnein laced their fingers together willingly, warmth returning as they made their way back to their room.


	7. Kanatsubamari - recording

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was just a bit of fooling around, but turned into enough of a drabble that I'm uploading it here. Long story short: AU where Kanade only goes into a coma after her zesshou, and she wakes up after Tsubasa and Maria are well into a relationship. Instead of a love triangle situation, it's solved with an OT3. So here's all three of them kissing and being otherwise romancey together.

Recording songs in a studio wasn’t as physically taxing as concert recitals or training, but even though Tsubasa enjoyed singing, it could get tiring when she kept at it as long as she had. Maria had looked rather worn down too, both of them exchanging a look of relief when their break hit. She left the live room, pretending to pay no mind to Maria ducking away from the control room before any of the staff could speak to her.

Ogawa caught her eye, nodding subtly at her before making a beeline for the engineers. With them busy, she could head for the lounge, which would hopefully be empty save for one person.

As predicted, Maria was its only occupant, taking a pair of water bottles out of the mini-fridge. When the door shut behind Tsubasa, Maria asked, “Are they distracted?”

“Ogawa-san is speaking with them.” She took a seat on one of the couches, specifically picking one that faced the door so that she would be able to see if someone entered.

“Thank god,” Maria sighed, collapsing next to Tsubasa and handing her one of the bottles. She pressed into Tsubasa’s side and leaned her head on her shoulder, probably having been wanting to get this close the entire day. “Only three more hours left.”

“If it doesn’t run late.” It felt like they stayed later than scheduled more often than not, especially the further they got into the recording process.

“Don’t be so negative, Tsubasa.” Maria gave her a pouty stare, receiving a kiss on the forehead as an apology for bringing her mood down.

“Then let me make it up to you.” She cupped Maria’s chin to bring them face to face, before moving in tantalizingly slow for a real kiss.

Maria’s mouth opened to accept Tsubasa’s the instant she made contact, and she felt a hand winding into her hair.to keep her close. A good call, Tsubasa mused, considering she’d thought about pulling away an inch or two and making Maria close the gap to continue. It was a shame to lose that opportunity, because the need she was conveying would have been fun to tease.

Those devilish thoughts faded away at the familiar feeling of a tongue against her own, and as if she knew what she was thinking, Maria sat up taller so that Tsubasa was below her. It was hard to continue to dominate a kiss when she had to look up at her partner, and she might have been forced to concede defeat when Maria, without breaking the kiss, moved to straddle her and trap her against the couch.

She tried to lose herself to the moment but concern struck, and she held a hand up to ask Maria to stop. “They’re still out there,” she said, referring to the studio’s staff, who could walk in to enjoy their own breaks at any time.

“You sad Ogawa is talking with them, there’s enough time for me to have you.” She wore a smirk that no one but Tsubasa had seen since her days with FIS, an inhibition-melting smugness reserved just for her.

Maria had definitely read her mind; she was frozen in front of her, lips only an inch away. Telling herself that it was only to minimize their chances of getting caught by dragging it out, Tsubasa gave in easily and took the offered kiss. With Maria tempting her so, she chose to put her faith in Ogawa to hold the staff off for just a little bit longer.

Everything dissolved into the background as Maria pulled back a scant centimeter every few seconds, making Tsubasa chase after her to resume the contact she was growing desperate for. It was frustrating for just that fraction of a second that they were apart, then forgiven when she resumed, and once again the frustration was rekindled when their lips separated again.

The sound of loud clapping brought her back to reality, heart leaping into her throat as Maria threw herself off her. Every thought about what would happen now that they were caught froze all functions of her brain, but the relief was palpable when she heard a familiar laugh. “Kanade?”

“You two certainly know how to put on a show.” She pretended to wipe a tear away.

“How long have you been watching?” Maria asked, panic at the edge of her voice.

“Long enough.” Kanade sat between the two of them, giving each of them a quick kiss in turn. “I chased the manager off and bought you a few minutes.”

“What are you doing here?” Tsubasa didn’t expect to see her in the studio; this wasn’t a recreational trip, but something professional with no room for obvious fraternization.

“Bossman had to stop by, I tagged along.” She turned her attention to Maria and wrapped an arm around her. “What are the chances of you sitting on my lap like that?”

Just seconds before, Maria was confident and easily taking the lead, but now she was blushing and stammering out a non-answer. Tsubasa couldn’t help but feel amusement at how the tables had turned on her after being teased the way she was.

That satisfaction didn’t last long, as Kanade turned to Tsubasa with a wicked grin. “C’mere, you’re not getting off easy.”

“Kanade!” She was guided from her seat and at first thought she was just being pulled into her side, until Kanade lifted her onto her lap.

“Do you think I could fit both of you on here?” With one hand settled firmly at Tsubasa’s waist, she brought Maria in closer, who had taken the opportunity to start to compose herself.

“I’m not sure that’s necessary,” Maria said evenly, reaching across Kanade to settle her hand on Tsubasa’s thigh despite her words.

“If you felt like picking up where you left off, don’t let me interrupt you.” Kanade returned the blush to both Tsubasa’s and Maria’s faces, and if Tsubasa didn’t love her smile as much as she did, it might have been infuriating to see Kanade so pleased over their flustering.

Maria glanced between the two of them, Tsubasa looking between her and Kanade, neither speaking. Giving another deep chuckle, Kanade said, “If you don’t, I will.” Not giving any other warning, she drew Tsubasa towards her and closed her mouth over hers.

Even though she was on the receiving end of both kisses, each one was wildly different. Kanade brimmed with a smooth confidence that Maria could never hope to match, even though she lost years of potential experience to the coma. Perhaps Tsubasa’s memories had become misleading over time, but it felt like Kanade put more life into not just every kiss, but every display of affection, more so than when they were younger.

It ended too soon, but Tsubasa was left satisfied. “Your turn,” Kanade said as she turned to Maria. She couldn’t do much more than widen her eyes in surprise before Kanade closed in, and it was Tsubasa’s turn to be smug. In most situations someone might have been jealous to kiss their girlfriend and then watch her immediately kiss another girl, but Tsubasa wasn’t in most situations, and not once did a negative thought cross her mind.

Maria was left breathless when Kanade broke it off, but instead of another flirty quip, she stared at the door. “Quick, off, someone’s coming.” She unceremoniously pushed Tsubasa from her lap and nudged Maria away; Maria stood to return to the small kitchen end of the lounge, taking a box of tea bags out of a cabinet, while Tsubasa finally paid attention to the water bottle she was handed when they first entered.

One of the runners walked through the door, barely acknowledging the three of them other than a short bowing of his head and a greeting of, “Ladies.” He was so focused on pouring multiple mugs of coffee, which was already brewed in the pot, that they probably could have gotten away with hanging all over each other like they were before. But if he entered the lounge despite Ogawa’s volunteered responsibility to keep the staff out, then surely others would follow soon.

He left as quickly as he entered, and while Maria looked as relieved as Tsubasa felt upon his exit, Kanade belted out in laughter. “You two are so wound up!”

“Our careers ride on not getting caught,” Tsubasa explained to her; Kanade was no stranger to hiding a relationship to keep their musical reputations afloat, so her nonchalant attitude didn’t make sense to her. “And if you choose to return to music with us, you shouldn’t jeopardize that so early.”

“But we didn’t get caught.” Her grin seemed even cockier than usual. “Listen, Tsubasa, I missed out on a lot of living. I’m not about to pass up an opportunity with you two just because someone _might_ see us.”

Tsubasa’s heart stopped every time she was reminded of that time without her; it seemed like such a distant memory now that she was alive in front of her again, but Kanade herself wouldn’t let her forget. “You have to _live,_ ” Kanade continued. “You don’t regret a few seconds spent kissing, do you?”

“No,” Tsubasa admitted. The stress might have taken a year or two from her life expectancy, but she could try to accept the panicking as a trade-off for a private moment with her girlfriends.

She waited for Kanade to say more, but instead she darted towards her face for yet another kiss, flicking her tongue across Tsubasa’s lips not to ask permission for more, but as a warning that she was pressing forward. Tsubasa gladly let her deepen it, but kept her eyes half open to watch the door. Conversely, Kanade’s eyes were closed shut.

“That was nice, right?” she asked Tsubasa when she stopped. “No one came in, and one of us would have heard someone if they did.”

Tsubasa nodded, quiet, because even though Kanade was making logical sense in her own way, she couldn’t share that risk-taking philosophy. And as promised, when they heard the doorknob jiggle, Kanade backed off to a respectable distance. One of the engineers entered the room, eyes skimming from one side to the other before settling his gaze on Maria. “Eve-san? You’re back on in five.”

“Understood.” She gave the pair a brief forlorn look when he took a soda from the fridge and retired to one of the other couches, which Tsubasa interpreted as disappointment that their time together was already over. All she could do was give her a subtle reassuring smile, trying to relay the sentiment that they wouldn’t have to keep this distance between them forever.

It wasn’t suspicious for Tsubasa to remain engrossed in conversation with her long-lost friend, but Maria decided to leave the lounge, mug of bag-brewed tea in hand, before her break was officially over. While it could have been safe to more openly spend time together around others, Kanade had yet to convince them to take the risks she seemingly sought out.

“Maria is probably recording now,” Tsubasa said when the engineer left the lounge several minutes later. “We usually watch each other from the control room.” While technically her own break hadn’t ended, and she could spend that time privately with Kanade, Maria had faithfully sat through every one of her recording sessions.

Against the expectation that Kanade was going to want to push her limits to their furthest point and leave her half undressed between herself and the couch cushions, she nodded. “I’ve never heard her record. And you’re next, right? It’s been too long since I’ve seen you in the live room.”

“It’s not that interesting, you’ve seen me sing before.” Despite her words, she was looking forward to watching Maria sing the same songs she’d been working on with her since before Kanade awoke.

“If Maria shines the same way you do when you sing, I’ll always regret missing out.” Kanade stood and adopted a gallant pose, bowing down and holding her hand out for Tsubasa to take. With a shy smile, she let Kanade lead her out of the empty room and back into the public eye, where they would remain just friends until behind closed doors again.


	8. Kanatsubamari + Chris - trauma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kanade suggests Chris join her, Tsubasa, and Maria for a night to cheer her up. She reluctantly agrees
> 
> (Potentially-triggering content: non-explicit depictions of PTSD from sexual abuse)

“C’mon Chris, does it really sound so bad?” Kanade had her arm slung over Chris’s shoulder and was leaning on her so that she would stop inching away. “I bet you’d be happy.”

“And I bet you guys don’t need me to be happy.” She still angled herself further away the more her personal space was invaded. “Why’d you call me over for this?”

“We thought you needed some cheering up.” Kanade let go of her, and Chris scooted to the side to get out of her reach.

“And you two were on board with this too?” Chris turned to Tsubasa and Maria accusingly.

“We care about you, Chris,” Maria said, smiling gently.

Tsubasa looked at Maria with a confused expression. “Kanade didn’t tell us you were coming until after she already called to invite you.”

“Tsubasa!” Maria nudged her with her elbow. “Try to make her feel more included.”

“See? I’m leaving.” Chris stood off the couch to head for the door when her wrist was grabbed. “What?” she asked when she saw it was Kanade reaching for her, trying to slip bitterness into her voice.

“You won’t even give it a chance?” Kanade grinned cockily. “You might regret it if you do it, but what if you wouldn’t, and you leave now before you find out?”

Chris felt blood rise to her cheeks, but she stopped her retreat. It was frustrating to acknowledge it, but Kanade had a magnetism that made it hard to deny. Glaring at the floor, she mumbled, “Fine, just a little.”

Widening her grin, Kanade guided her back to the couch. “Did you want to start or should I?”

“Just do what you want,” Chris spat, throwing her gaze to the side so that she wouldn’t have to look at the person who promised to seduce her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Maria and Tsubasa cross from the seat across from them to join Kanade.

Slipping her hands under Chris’s jacket to hold her by the shoulders, Kanade started with a kiss to her forehead, moving down to place one on her nose, and Chris’s heart pounded as she knew her lips were next. They were met more softly than she would have expected from someone like Kanade, but it wasn’t disappointing that she was taking it slowly.

Tsubasa came next, sitting on her other side and holding onto her arm. She leaned in close, pressing kisses in a line from her cheek, down her neck, towards her shoulder. With both of Chris’s sides flanked, Maria slid between them to lean over her, caressing her thigh and edging closer like the others had.

Chris’s flush intensified and her whole body burned as she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do. It was awkward enough to return Kanade’s kiss, but she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do with the other two. She could only focus on one person, but ignoring them didn’t feel right either.

Her heartbeat raged, but it wasn’t from anticipation or the previous fluster, and was becoming painful. She went with it, assuming it to be reluctant excitement, and accepted Kanade’s invading kiss, holding her hand over Maria’s. Her uniform jacket was finally stripped away.

Mind becoming unfocused, she became hyperaware of every touch, but was so tense she might as well have been frozen. Kanade noticed too, chiding her with, “Relax a little, I’ll make sure you have a good time,” as her hands moved to her the first button on her collar.

Her thoughts jumbled into incoherency, with one vague memory at the forefront quickly becoming clearer. Someone forcing her shirt over her head, easily overpowering her despite her squirming and kicking. Another person roughly subduing her to make their job easier. Maybe there was a third person there, or even a fourth, she was never able to pay close enough attention.

The hands on her right now were gentle, but even the lightest touch would have been repulsive. At any time they were going to overwhelm her, and she’d be undressed and tag-teamed and incapable of fighting back.

“ _Get off me!_ ” Chris flailed and kicked Maria away with a solid hit to her thigh that made her stumble back. She shoved Kanade from her with both hands, leaping backwards but only connecting with Tsubasa, which caused her to scream and throw her elbow back into her stomach.

Her actions were met with questions of, “Chris?” and “Yukine?” Kanade reached towards her, confusion on her face.

“No!” She wrapped her arms around herself and retreated by sinking into the couch cushions, as escaped was blocked from all three directions.

“Oh no….” Tsubasa covered her face with her hand. “Yukine, I’m sorry.”

Maria looked confused before her face lit up in realization, then guilt. “Oh. Chris….”

“What’s wrong?” Kanade looked between the three of them like she was waiting for an answer.

Chris would have explained, but the words stayed inside her and she did nothing but stutter for a few seconds as she attempted. She shook violently and was probably dripping sweat, but wasn’t in any state to care what she looked like.

“I’ll get her some water.” Maria excused herself, and Chris felt a little better now that the space in front of her was clear even though she knew that they weren’t going to do anything that would make her need to break free.

“Kanade, Yukine….” Tsubasa moved to sit next to Kanade, leaving Chris free to huddle against the arm of the couch with a considerable distance between her and them. She tuned out the explanation about her past, something Kanade, who hadn’t been around nearly as long, didn’t know about. At some point Maria came back to aid Tsubasa, but Chris didn’t notice until she realized that she’d been holding a glass of water for some time.

“Ah….” Kanade looked upset, hopefully at the situation, but a part of Chris worried she was blaming her for her breakdown. A large part, unfortunately. “I guess I really killed the mood there, didn’t I? Sorry about that.”

“Whatever, you didn’t know,” Chris mumbled. She was used to hearing stock apologies after someone found out what she’d been through.

“Hey, I mean it.” She sounded mildly offended, but mostly pouty.

“Doesn’t change what happened.” Every time the story was told, it ended awkwardly like this, and she hated opening up so much that telling people might have been worse than the event itself. “I should go.”

“Wait.” Kanade jumped forward to grab her wrist again, and Chris’s panic rose again at the instinctive fear that things were about to escalate again. She yanked away with an uncomfortable grunt, and Kanade released her with a guilty look. “Really, you should stay.”

“Why?” She should have just turned and left, but something kept her attention. Everyone always seemed sincerely apologetic, so Kanade shouldn’t have been any different, but then again, something about her brought Chris here in the first place.

“I promised you a good time.” She patted the spot on the couch next to her, and Tsubasa moved aside to make room so that she wouldn’t be cramped between them. “How about a movie instead?”

Chris sighed and acted like it was an inconvenience, but still took her seat. “Whatever,” she grumbled again.

Maria threw Tsubasa a look and whispered something to her before they moved to the opposite couch, giving them more space. Kanade stretched her arm across the back of the couch and asked, “Is a hug okay?”

She gave another half-hearted, “Whatever,” and let Kanade pull her into her chest. While she didn’t return the hug, she tried to loosen up and not seem so wound up and ready to run like she didn’t trust her to keep within a respectful boundary.


	9. Carolnein - personal space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another one in the amnesia continuity. Based on a tumblr text post prompt: "you have no idea what personal space is and it's really distracting when your face is two inches away from mine, what if i turn my head and accidentally kiss you"
> 
> Also based a little on the seventh picture in this photoset: http://dlartistanon.tumblr.com/post/136920701293/twitter-dump-with-a-bunch-of-sin-in-the-middle

Elfnein had seen enough of the modern internet to know pets were professional distractions. She almost wished it was a small cat trying to take her attention from her work, because despite the reported frustration, Carol was much larger than a cat or dog, and couldn’t be locked in another room and forgotten for the time being.

Carol’s chair was sat down directly next to hers but had managed to sit in both of theirs in her endeavor to get close, and Elfnein couldn’t scoot any further away without falling out of her seat. She’d gone through a small stack of paper before her patience ran out and she had to set a boundary. “Carol, at least stay in your own seat.”

“Fine,” she grumbled, inching back to her own chair. Unexpectedly, she did stay there, but not a minute later was leaned over just inches from her face, staring at her work.

She was in the way, but it wasn’t impossible to work if she moved the papers to her other side. Ignored, Carol continued to passively demand attention by invading her vision, but it was tolerable. There were no problems until Elfnein turned her head to reach for something on Carol’s side of the desk, and found herself nose to nose with her.

“Carol!” Elfnein flinched back in surprise; the last she was aware of her, she was looking down at the desk, not at her.

Carol also jerked away when Elfnein raised her voice, but was almost immediately back in her face. “What?”

“I’m _working._ ” She knew she should have disregarded her and gone back to what should have had her full focus, but couldn’t tear herself away from staring back.

“I’m not doing anything.” Carol couldn’t hold a straight face for even half a second before she grinned mischievously.

“It’s distracting,” Elfnein said sternly. “And I almost accidentally kissed you.”

Carol’s smile fell and her gaze turned downwards. “Would that be bad?” she asked in a small voice.

Hit with sudden guilt at her poor choice of complaint, Elfnein closed the minimal gap between them for a brief, light kiss. Carol’s eyebrows raised and her eyes widened, when Elfnein lightly chided her with, “If you want something, you have to tell me. You can’t sit there and wait for me to figure it out.”

After a short confused look, Carol broke out in a wide smile and pressed forward for another. She kept their lips pressed together for as long as Elfnein allowed, pouting when she pulled back first and wouldn’t allow her to move back in to continue.

“I’m busy, you have to be patient.” She knew that was asking a lot from Carol, but she couldn’t just give her what she wanted without at least waiting.

“How long?” Carol made a subtle attempt to lean in, but didn’t persist when Elfnein held her at bay.

“Until I’m done working.” With great willpower, she turned back to her work, keeping the sulking Carol out of her thoughts.

A couple minutes passed, and Carol hadn’t done more than grumble and nudge her once or twice by starting to get closer, but changing her mind and returning to her own side. Pleased, Elfnein directed her attention from her work back to Carol to take her by the cheek, turning her towards her for a third brief kiss.

When she broke it off, Carol didn’t look unhappy, but definitely puzzled. “But you just said….”

“You were good though,” Elfnein said, smiling as she praised her. Carol’s face lit up, and Elfnein knew she found a way to keep Carol from getting pushy when she was working. As expected, through the remainder of her work, Carol reminded quiet and compliant with the occasional reward, something they both looked forward to receiving.


	10. Tsubasa - unhappy marriage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A request prompt from tumblr: Tsubamari and "Cagamosis - An unhappy marriage"

It was long overdue, but Tsubasa was ready to tell Maria how she felt. After this long spent pining, Maria deserved all that she had to give. A week had gone by since Tsubasa made the necessary reservations, and there were only two more weeks remaining until she would confess.

She was called in to meet with her grandfather; she was on edge, but not fearful. Fudou did occasionally request her presence, and it was becoming more frequent as he aged. More than likely, she was about to meet another distant relative to establish a first impression under his guidance.

Instead, his opening words to her – he never started with a formal greeting – were, “Tsubasa, you’re off to be married next month.”

“Grandfather-” She didn’t know what to say. She _couldn’t_ say anything. There was nothing leading up to it, just the sudden knowledge that she was engaged. Then, seconds after, she realized what that meant for what she’d been steeling herself for. “Why?” It wasn’t her place to question, but despite herself, she needed to know.

“We’re expanding our control to America, and need to know what they know of the Symphogears. Naturally, your job will be to reveal as little vital information as possible.” He stated everything so factually, and given what she knew of him, she was sure he had no concern for her feelings in the face of the future power of the Kazanaris.

She gulped and balled her hands into fists, staring him down and waiting for his next order. Instead, he looked at her questioningly. “It seems you have another suitor in mind, already? Depending on their influence, it’s not too late to call this off.”

“Maria Cadenzavna Eve,” she stated plainly, in a controlled, emotion-free voice. 

“The orphaned singer? No.” Even though she knew she should have expected his denial, she sunk hearing it. “She’s already under our domain, not to mention the…obvious.”

Tsubasa had a few ideas of what the “obvious” things were, but didn’t ask for further explanation. “Will that be all, Grandfather?”

“For today, yes. Keep yourself free, there will be more related to this in the coming weeks.”

Nodding once, Tsubasa turned on her heel and exerted great effort to not slam the door shut behind her. It was childish to ever think that in her position, she could put herself first.

* * *

Tsubasa met her new husband on the day of their wedding. Their families attended, but no one else. If her friends were allowed, they could have helped ease both the stress and grief, but it was just her and the family she was giving up her life for. However no friends meant no Maria, and that distance was probably good for her.

Her new husband, Russel Taylor, was considerably taller than her, and closer to her own age than her father’s, but not by much. Outwardly, he was a polite man, but just like she was only using him for her family’s end, she was sure the same held true on his end. If he held enough power that Fudou was interested, then he must have recognized her own.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Kazanari-san,” he said in perfect Japanese. “I’m sure it’s not ideal, but I’ll do my best to make the rest of your life pleasurable.”

“And to you as well, Taylor-san.” It was easy to think of him as a cold-hearted monster ambitiously climbing his way up in the world, but the reality was more likely that he had a life before this as well. If she had to spend a lifetime with him, she would do well to humanize him rather than pushing all the blame onto his shoulders.

“Tsubasa?” Genjuuro came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Preparations are about to begin, come this way.”

Russel bowed his head at his presence. “I guess it is bad luck to see the bride before the wedding, where I’m from. I’ll see you at the altar.” He took her hand and kissed the back of it; it was an honest action, but it made her stomach twist.

When they were out of earshot of anyone, Genjuuro said to her, “I know this isn’t what you want, but….”

“What I want doesn’t matter, this has always been my duty.” She faced forward so that she couldn’t see him, or the probably concern on his face.

“I had hoped this would end with you.” He sighed, and squeezed her shoulder a little tighter. “That you wouldn’t have to go through something like this, and Father would have abandoned his power plays by now.”

She held the same hopes, but remained silent. Genjuuro continued. “The rest of us still support you. Don’t let this take the Tsubasa we love from us.” Still quiet, she nodded, not sure if she could make the promise to not change.

* * *

Not a year and a half after the marriage, Tsubasa had their first son, Luke Taylor-Kazanari. This child was the amalgamation of all that had shattered her life to pieces, something that she’d still never recovered from.

Still, she promised she would never hold that against him. She knew what it was like to be a child produced from a parents’ need to push their influence. Her father had always been distant, and her mother was out of the picture; for her son who never asked to be born under these conditions, she wouldn’t ever become that.

The others at SONG were the spoiling relatives that hers and Russel’s blood relatives weren’t. She’d bring him over on slow days, off days, and sometimes Russel would be left at headquarters with him while she was dispatched. As promised, he didn’t know more than she was allowed to tell him.

Of all her friends who doted on Luke, the only one she rarely saw anymore was Maria. She’d seen less of her since the engagement, and currently was in London with her boyfriend, a British singer who continued a successful career after the boyband he started with split apart. Part of Tsubasa said that since Maria was into men, she had only saved herself the embarrassment of a rejected confession over a year ago. A larger part of her had secretly been hoping she would have an excuse to leave this marriage and could pick up where she left off.

She just wanted to feel what she knew: that it was better for her that since dating Maria was out of the question, she spent more time away from her. But that solace she craved, of harmful indulgence in the form of a casual friend date or hugs that lingered too long, was out of the question now.

“Tsubasa?” Russel came out of the bedroom holding Luke, who was sleeping moments ago but crying now. “I think he’s hungry.”

She opened her arms, gesturing for him to bring Luke to her. Now that she was directly responsible for another life, perhaps she could finally stop being so selfish and wishing for the life she was denied.


	11. DMJii - thunder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A request prompt from tumblr: DMJii and "Brontide - The low rumbling of distant thunder."

It was an unspoken agreement from the start, that Kirika would share her bed with Shirabe, or sometimes vice versa. There were two futons laid out, but there was no “Kirika’s futon” or “Shirabe’s futon,” instead placing them together and switching who was on which side whenever the need struck them.

Before they went to sleep, the weather predicted the rain would escalate into an overnight storm, with no hurricane warning given. Kirika paid exactly zero creed to it; rain wasn’t scary, and they were safe from the elements as long as they followed Dr. Ver. Maria and Nastassja stayed with him, so they remained functionally loyal.

She’d planned on sleeping through the storm, but something suffocating her caused her to wake up and try to shove it off instinctively. Instead of moving, the thing wrapped around her middle held on tighter and pressed into her chest. Her hand moved to feel it before her eyes were able to open, and she found familiar silky hair.

“Shirabe?” Kirika rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and groped around until she was hugging her comfortably with her free arm, hand gripping her shoulder.

“Kiri-chan,” she said quietly in return.

“What’s wrong?” The patter of rain against the windows was distracting white noise in the background, and she had to strain her ears to pick up what Shirabe was saying, if she even was speaking at all. A low rumbling sound reached her, and at Shirabe’s subtle shiver, she put it together. “Did the storm wake you?”

She nodded and nuzzled closer, shrinking into Kirika’s embrace. “You should have woken me up when you got scared.”

Shirabe shook her head slightly this time, not loosening her grip even as Kirika shifted around trying to free up space for her lungs. However, if she was that scared, Kirika wasn’t going to make her let go; the discomfort was manageable. “It’s just sound, it can’t hurt you.”

Inwardly, Kirika wondered how someone who fearlessly faced the Noise could be reduced to this from hearing distant thunder. She stroked Shirabe’s hair and held her almost as tightly as she was being held, not able to pull her any closer. There was another distant clap of thunder, and Shirabe flinched and buried her forehead against Kirika.

“Shhh,” Kirika whispered soothingly. “It’s just noise, and not the dangerous kind even. It’ll pass.”

Right when Shirabe settled down and her muscles released their tension, the sky roared again, getting louder with each one. Again, she relaxed, and then with one sound was tightly wound again. Repeat, but this time, she never unwound.

It was close enough that either it was shaking the walls, or Shirabe’s trembling was getting more intense. Kirika let go of her to move her hands to the sides of her head, covering her ears. Shirabe opened her eyes, which were squeezed shut previously, to look at her curiously. Hopefully she wouldn’t be able to hear if she spoke, so Kirika smiled gently.

“Kiri-chan…” she whispered. She returned to hiding in Kirika’s chest. “Thank you.”

Kirika responded this time with a kiss on top of her head. She stayed still like that for a moment, before Shirabe lifted her head to meet her gaze again and bringing their mouths together. Her lips quivered and she squealed when a particularly-loud blast of thunder came overhead, but she didn’t jerk away.

“Shirabe….” Kirika mumbled when her mouth opened against her, despite knowing she wouldn’t be able to hear. She overcame the desire to run her fingers through her hair even though it was within reach, because doing so would leave her hearing unimpaired again. “Shirabe.”

The sound of rain and thunder faded into the background for Kirika as her full attention was focused on Shirabe, shaking against her like a frightened prey animal, but still passionate. It wasn’t her first plan, but if Shirabe could find comfort with her, with this familiarity, then she would throw herself into it for as long as it took.

Shirabe’s eyes had been drooping, and she pulled away first. Kirika couldn’t recall when the offending thunder had last rang out, or if it was still ongoing in the first place, but Shirabe was ready to risk it. “Kiri-chan?”

Kirika dropped her hands, and took Shirabe loosely by the shoulders. “Yes?”

“I’m going back to sleep.” 

“Yeah, me too then.” With no further words, Shirabe moved into a position more conducive for sleeping than kissing.

Almost immediately, Kirika was hit with a wave of drowsiness, the lazy, comforting kisses not enough to have raised her heart rate too much to sleep. Just before dozing back off herself, she heard a quiet, “Good night, Kiri-chan.”


	12. Tsubamari - passion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maria and Tsubasa still need to have some time together, even if the need comes at an inconvenient moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly it's just some kissing practice that I picked this ship for, inspired by some sinful conversation with am-saint and parme-tan on tumblr

After another average day spent performing minor duties at SONG, Tsubasa was ready to wind down at home. While it was only late afternoon, she and Maria had an early flight to America for an upcoming tour. She would prefer to be alert and fully rested before takeoff, rather than sleeping on the plane.

“Could you take this to Momoya-san before you leave?” Hibiki held out a folder to Maria. “Her office is near the elevator, and I’m staying here for another hour.”

“Of course. Tsubasa?” Maria invited her to take the trip with her; Tsubasa nodded, smiling gently.

“Thank you, Maria-san, Tsubasa-san!” Hibiki beamed and returned to what was occupying her before, while Maria left the office.

“Room 226…” Maria read off the front of the folder. “That’s downstairs.”

There was an awkwardness between them as Tsubasa was afraid to start a conversation, and presumably Maria was in the same situation. They’d been hiding their relationship for months now, but as their comfort levels with each other rose, the risk of being caught did as well. The easy conversations that came with friendship evolved into the stiffness with a new romantic relationship, becoming effortless again as that faded, and now fear was settling in.

What Tsubasa wanted was to take Maria’s hand and kiss her on the cheek in front of everyone else in the elevator, but instead she followed a measured two steps behind her when they reached the second floor. Somehow, Maria looked as if she could have been preoccupied with a thought as mundane as what to wear on the flight, while Tsubasa was internally a mess when they were together but forcibly separate.

Maria opened the door to the office they were instructed, asking, “Momoya-san?” It was empty, with a piece of paper taped to the back of the computer monitor stating that she had stepped out. “Tsubasa, could you put this on her desk?”

Tsubasa took it before it crossed her mind that there wasn’t a reason for Maria to have her do it, but at the same time, there was no reason for her to not. The offices were economically small, only a few steps to the desk. When she turned to leave and reached for the doorknob, Maria pushed the door closed and it clicked shut.

“Maria?” She looked up at her, confused, but a twinge of excitement ran through her at the possibilities.

“No lock,” Maria mused, ignoring her.

“Maria, what-” Maria was on her in an instant, pulling her close, turning and pushing her against the door, mouth swallowing her question. Tsubasa found herself unable to form any further words with Maria’s tongue in the way.

Not stopping to question why this was happening or what could go wrong, Tsubasa went with it, matching Maria’s movements with equal enthusiasm. She was out of breath almost immediately, struggling to rival Maria’s sudden passion. Just seconds ago she was perfectly calm and collected, and now she was so easily reducing Tsubasa to a trembling puddle.

It wasn’t until Maria pulled back for several deep breaths that fear crept back into Tsubasa’s thoughts. Most notably, Maria’s declaration that there was no lock on the door, and that according to the note, the owner of this office could be back at any time. “Maria…this-“

She was silenced with Maria’s finger to her lips. “I know, no lock. We’ll have to be careful.” Her smile faded and became a hard glare, and Tsubasa’s knees threatened to give out. The expression that used to mean there was a fight to the death imminent now promised good things to come. If she could stop shaking under Maria’s gaze at least, and quell the worries of getting caught, it could be enjoyable.

Those concerns became easy to ignore when Maria’s lips brushed against her neck, grazing slowly across the expanse of skin teasingly but never settling. “Don’t make a sound,” Maria commanded lowly before finally latching on with her mouth. Tsubasa’s breath hitched, but she silenced both pleased and protesting noises before they could be vocalized.

It wasn’t long before the gentle touching became firmer as Maria sucked harder, moving to a new spot after a point where Tsubasa was sure she left a mark. Her breath grew ragged when she began working on a third love bite on the opposite side of her neck. The finger on her lips was replaced by Maria’s entire hand, muffling her.

“Shush, we don’t know how long until she comes back.” Maria nipped at Tsubasa’s shoulder briefly, before resuming her assault on her collarbone. Tsubasa breathed hard out her nose, swallowing repeatedly to moisten her now-dry throat. All higher functions were halted, yet somehow going haywire, under Maria’s skilled mouth wreaking havoc on her sensitive throat.

Finally, finally, Maria pulled back with a long, deep sigh. Tsubasa strained to read her, but pinned against the office door, head tilted back, it was hard to focus. Without a word, Maria removed her hand, but quickly replaced it with her own mouth, parting her lips effortlessly; Tsubasa accepted her tongue, meeting it, and continuing the harsh breaths through her nose.

Still kissing her, Maria grabbed one of Tsubasa’s wrists in each hand, raising her arms above her head, while she slipped a knee between Tsubasa’s thighs to keep her in place. Tsubasa’s moans were quieted by the open mouth against hers as she struggled to keep herself quiet like instructed.

Maria would pull back occasionally, just for a fraction of a second, Tsubasa thinking she was given a reprieve before Maria would recapture her lips. The sound of blood rushing and her heart slamming against her breastbone drowned out all other noise.

Shifting a bit, Maria held Tsubasa’s wrists together with one hand, and her other traveled lower, down her cheek, over her shoulder, caressing every curve along her side before slipping under the hem of her shirt. The tips of her fingers explored her stomach, an electrifyingly-light touch burning a trail across her skin. Tsubasa was becoming overwhelmed, and began to squirm under Maria as remaining still grew increasingly impossible.

All of that ended when she heard the doorknob jiggle, and the door attempt to nudge open behind her. Maria’s eyes flew wide and she backed off, pulling Tsubasa off the door by her forearm. She reached for the knob to open it herself before whoever was on the other end could try again.

“Momoya-san!” Maria greeted her as if they hadn’t been doing what they’d just been doing a fraction of a second ago. “We thought we’d missed you!”

As easily as Maria had put on the persona, she’d dropped it, returning to presenting as a collected, professional adult who could hold small talk effortlessly. Tsubasa scooted behind her and tried to subtly tug her collar higher and rearrange her hair to cover the still-tingling marks dotting her neck.

Maria was just as subtly positioned to keep Tsubasa partially out of sight behind her, clearly aware of the risk she took. Despite the recent activity still being at the front of her mind, Maria talked them out of the situation and finally was able to excuse the two of them.

Again, Tsubasa kept two paces behind Maria, who ignored her until they were several doors down. Before they reached the elevator, Maria slowed down to walk next to her, “I’m taking a different elevator. Meet me at the silver Subaru in ten minutes.”  
Tsubasa felt excitement and anticipation run through her again one more time.


	13. DMJii plus Chris - wandering thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris is tutoring Kirika and Shirabe, but Kirika has her mind on other things - namely, her beloved Shirabe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on the bit in GX OVA 04 where Kirika is thinking aloud about how she loves Shirabe in front of Maria.
> 
> Please forgive any errors in the math-related talk, I haven't taken any sort of algebra in almost a decade and am only willing to spend so long researching math for a yuri drabble on the internet.

“A polynomial is different from a parabola,” Chris explained, drawing several curves across the graph paper in front of her. “A parabola is like this,” she said as she drew a U shape, “and a polynomial has these kind of waves.” She mapped out a couple examples.

“How do you even remember this?” Kirika whined, slouching onto the tabletop.

“I pay attention in class instead of making goo-goo eyes all day,” Chris said bitterly, pushing the paper aside to look at the equations on the worksheet.

“If you’re so good at it, then instead of wasting time tutoring you could just do our homework for us,” Kirika said hopefully.

“Kiri-chan…” Shirabe sighed, as Chris twinged with annoyance.

“I had to go through this myself without help, so you’re gonna sit your ass down and learn.” Chris slammed the textbook open, finding the necessary chapter. “Ok, so look at this one. There’s three turning points, right here,” she marked the curves lightly with the pencil, “which makes this a fourth-degree polynomial.”

“Then this is a fifth degree?” Shirabe asked, pointing out another on the page.

“Yeah. Okay, look how the middle crosses over zero-zero, so you know zero is going to be the x-intercept….” Chris continued, but Kirika was unable to pay further attention. The lesson reached her ears, but flowed out before she could comprehend any of it before the next sentence came at her.

 _This is boring_ , she thought, zoned out staring at the paper. _I wonder if I could pay Senpai to do it for me._

“Hey, kid.” Kirika was suddenly aware that Chris’s lecture had stopped and she was glaring at Kirika. “At least pretend to pay attention.”

“But I was pretending!” Kirika blurted out, before realizing she’d been defending herself the wrong way. “I mean…you’re a great teacher, Chris-senpai.” Shirabe buried her face into her hand as Chris grumbled and returned to the book.

Kirika tried to focus, but she made it as far as the phrase “greater than zero” before zoning out again, eyes drifting from the paper to Shirabe sitting at the adjacent side of the table. _She’s so cute,_ she thought. _Much better than what Senpai is talking about. I love you so much, Shirabe!_

A quiet, monotone, “Kiri-chan,” brought her out of the reverie.

“Huh?” She noticed alongside Shirabe’s pitying stare was Chris, steaming.

“You’re thinking aloud again.”

“Aloud- oh.” She broke into an embarrassed grin. “Hah, sorry, Senpai.”

“Keep that to yourself,” Chris growled, pushing the text book to Kirika and jabbing a finger to a graph. “What’s that?”

“Duh, a polynomial graph,” Kirika said a little smugly since she had the answer.

“How many degrees?” Chris gave a retort even more smug than her own.

“Uh….” Kirika skimmed the page, looking for an answer, but Chris took the book away shortly after and groaned loudly.

“Do that again and I’m leaving, and one of the suits can tutor you instead.”

“Alright, alright.” Kirika really did try to pay attention, even clamping her hand over her mouth.

“So we’ll start with this easy example. X squared, plus two X, plus 5. You start by….” Kirika caught her focus fading again, and didn’t even try to bring it back this time. Chris was pretty much only teaching Shirabe anyways, so all Kirika had to do to get through the lesson unscathed was keep her mouth shut and ask to copy Shirabe’s answers when Chris was gone.

Still silent, she was sure, her thoughts began to wander. About what she would do after Chris released them. About fighting Noise alongside Shirabe. About kissing Shirabe, still sweaty from exerting themselves after an arduous battle. About leaning over the table and kissing her right in front of Chris just to break up the monotony of her instruction.

The sudden sound of Chris smacking the table startled both Kirika and Shirabe, both of them jolting in their seats as Chris violently rose to her feet. “I’m done.”

“Wait- huh?” Kirika watched as Chris stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. “Shirabe?”

Shirabe sighed, and eyes to the floor, said, “You did it again, Kiri-chan.”

“Ah, oops.” She was a little embarrassed, but stilled grinned as she scratched her cheek. “Any chance I can get you to explain what Senpai was talking about?”

“I’m not sure I understand it either.” Shirabe looked at the paper, troubled.

“We can ask the Commander to help get us back on her good side later.” Kirika frowned at the page; all she knew was that it was a bunch of nonsense polygraph lines or something.

“If you want, Kiri-chan, we can do that,” Shirabe said in a quiet voice, face tinged red.

“Th-that?” Warmth rose to Kirika’s own cheeks, not sure what Shirabe was talking about but positive that flustering was an appropriate reaction.

“You said you wanted to kiss me.” Shirabe leaned forward, subtly. “You can if you want.”

“Oh, that….” She was right, it was embarrassing, but she couldn’t say that she wasn’t happy at being allowed to fulfill that fantasy. Without hesitation, she flattened her palms against the tabletop and leaned over to press her lips against Shirabe’s before returning to sitting.

Again, Kirika couldn’t stop the smile spread across her face. Shirabe looked her directly in the eyes while saying, “Is that all?”

“Huh?” She stared blankly back at Shirabe, who was leaned forward again.

Shirabe left her seat to sit next to Kirika and wrapped her arms around her waist, saying with slight demanding in her voice, “Kiss me properly.”

Kirika would have smiled wider if there was enough time between Shirabe’s request and their lips meeting again. She pulled Shirabe closer, restrained as to not crush her despite her frequent insistence that Kirika couldn’t accidentally hurt her from just a strong hug. Nearly simultaneously, their mouths opened to deepen the kiss, enthusiastically meeting each other’s passion as Kirika’s grip tightened just a little to support the melting Shirabe.

The door opened, and Shirabe’s hold slackened a little but Kirika kept her tight in her arms, the two turning their heads towards Chris in the doorway. “Alright the old man-” she froze, and her face reddened when she locked eyes with Kirika. “I left you two alone for five minutes!”

Shirabe looked to the side dismissively, and Kirika could only give a sheepish grin as she let her go. Chris took several steps into the room, before groaning and turning on her heel. “Do your damn homework, I’ll be back in ten minutes,” she said threateningly before slamming the door shut.

Kirika had other ideas, but Shirabe voiced those same ideas first. “We have about eight minutes to ourselves.”

“I knew I was meant to be with you,” Kirika beamed before pulling her towards her for a kiss that wouldn’t be interrupted for some time.


	14. Carolnein - pets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scrapped scenes from the still-in-progress amnesia longfic, involving Carol with a pet cat and dog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A commission for isinforrumraisin on Tumblr, for any Carolnein from the amnesia continuity, with at least one mention of janties (jean panties).

Carol looked at the small, black creature in Elfnein’s arms, bundled into itself against her chest, and making a loud, vibrating noise. Its yellow eyes were half closed, looking over Carol to see the rest of the room, totally still otherwise. Behind Elfnein was Chris, arms crossed and glaring in Carol’s general direction.

“It’s…a cat?” Carol had yet to see one in person, but the large ears, angular face, and lithe body covered in short fur seemed unmistakable. She also had the strongest urge to reach out and pet it, from the very instant Elfnein walked in holding her.

“Yep!” Elfnein smiled, and stepped forward so that it was in her reach. “Chris-san’s neighbor found her, and she needs a home.”

“I only brought her here because we can’t have pets at my apartment,” Chris spat. “Shorty didn’t want her to go to a shelter.”

“So…this is her home now?” Carol swelled inside in a way unfamiliar to her, that she couldn’t describe. She awkwardly stroked the cat’s head and back, and bunched up some fur between her fingers to savor the new, very enjoyable feeling.

“You said you get lonely when I’m gone, so I thought she could keep you company.” Elfnein held the leash the cat was one, but held her out a little. “Do you want to hold her?”

Carol immediately told her, “Yes,” but hesitated in actually stretching her arms out when she realized she had absolutely no idea what to do. She tried to imitate Elfnein, but found her position impossible when the cat was dropped into her waiting arms, and Carol held her tighter in case she would drop her.

“You don’t have to hold her so tight,” Elfnein said, guiding Carol into a position that was presumably more comfortable for the cat. “She knows where she wants to be.” Carol ignored Chris’s grumbling as she dug through a bag she held, setting up what Carol assumed were food and water dishes.

“Okay….” Carol tried to slacken her grip, but every time the cat shifted in discomfort, Carol moved to try to support what she thought she was going to do. It didn’t take long before the cat pushed away from Carol and fell to the floor, running to the end of the leash. “Ah! Oh no!”

“No- Carol stop you’ll scare her.” Elfnein put her arm out to keep Carol from running to her. “Cats can land when you drop them, she’ll be fine.”

“Oh, okay….” She did _seem_ fine, and was walking as far as the leash allowed without trouble, but Carol still worried. Elfnein scooped her back up, but when Carol reached out to pet her, the cat swatted at her with a clawed paw, and Carol jerked her hand back.

“Can’t even handle a cat?” Chris asked smugly. “Maybe she’d be better off back on the street instead of with a brat.”

“I’ll make her like me just to prove you wrong,” Carol argued, trying to touch the cat’s head again, but was met with another warning swipe. Elfnein stroked her on the head to calm her down, and Carol was at first jealous that Elfnein was able to pet her, but then jealous of the cat for receiving Elfnein’s attention.

“She’d be the only one that does like you,” Chris said, smirking, as she poured dried kibble into one of the bowls.

Carol opened her mouth to fight, but Elfnein spoke up first. “Carol, stop. Chris-chan, please, not right now.”

For Elfnein’s sake, not because she felt she’d won the argument, Carol quieted herself with a _hmph_. She stuck her tongue out at Chris while Elfnein was turned away, and Chris returned the gesture equally silently.

“You should name her,” Elfnein suggested before either of them could pick it back up. “She doesn’t have tags, so you can pick a name.”

Carol looked carefully at the cat giving her a deceptive smile, and a person from a recent vivid dream came to mind. “Micha.”

Chris dropped the water bottle she was using to fill up the second bowl, spilling it across the floor and shouting, “Shit!” Elfnein’s eyes widened, and Carol noticed the little color in her pale face drained. Abandoning the mess on the carpet, Chris stood to full height, giving Carol an intense murderous stare and gripping her pendant in her hand.

“What- what’s wrong?” Carol staggered backwards, heart pounding in a way that Chris had never done to her, no matter how rude she was, or the empty threats she spewed; normally Carol would insult her for even looking at her, but her throat closed up. Elfnein stepped between the two of them, eyes trained on Carol.

“Why that name?” Elfnein asked in a tone Carol recognized as feigned calm.

“I- it was- I just….” Carol clenched her hands into fists as she tried to stop shaking. “I ha- had a…dream. And there was a girl named Micha.” She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. “The cat reminded me of that….”

Chris’s expression remained hard, but she relaxed her stance. Elfnein turned her head and told Chris, “There’s towels by the sink,” and Chris glowered, but went to where she was directed to clean the mess she’d made.

“Elfnein….” Carol looked down at the cat – Micha – now that she was too afraid to look anyone in the eye. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Elfnein walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder, keeping Micha close to her chest with only one arm. “A coincidence, probably.”

Eyes still cast downwards, Carol reached up to try to pet Micha once more, and her mood lifted a little when she let Carol touch her between the ears. “But what’s it about?”

“I can’t tell you,” Elfnein said sadly, but she couldn’t possibly be as bothered as Carol was. “It’s not important, you just have to worry about taking care of her.”

Carol didn’t believe her, as she was still shaken from Chris’s immediate willingness to attack her with the Symphogear, and she couldn’t help but wonder how Chris _really_ felt about her if she hadn’t done more than bully her verbally before this. She tried to scratch behind Micha’s ears, but she raised a paw in warning, and Carol drew back. “The Micha in my dream had big claws, so she reminded me of that when she scratched. And she was small, too.”

Elfnein set Micha down on the floor and unclipped her leash, leaving the collar on so that she could explore freely. She stood in place despite her freedom, sniffing the air and taking only a few steps. Stifling the urge to get down on the floor to pet Micha more, Carol reached for Elfnein’s hand.

“I’m sure she’ll warm up to you eventually,” Elfnein assured her, taking the offered hand. “You’re a stranger, but you’re going to spend a lot of time with her. Oh, and…”  Elfnein dug through the bag at her feet, “you can give her treats too.”

Carol took a soft pellet from the half-empty container and held it out to Micha, but she turned her head away every time Carol put it next to her nose. At some point Chris must have returned, because she spoke up while crouched to the ground and pressing a towel to the wet carpet. “Hah, can’t even bribe her?”

Still shaken from earlier, Carol ignored Chris and glared at the ground, skin crawling at the decision to let her win. Elfnein defused the situation before one could arise, saying, “You might have to let her get used to being here before she’ll want any.”

“But I like things that taste good when I’m around new people.” She eventually saw a pattern in that, in some of her earliest encounters with the others, she was bribed into security with food.

“You’re not a cat,” Elfnein said, as if it wasn’t too obvious to say; Carol’s brow scrunched when she explained this. “She’s going to act differently than you do.”

“I know that, Elfnein.” Carol pouted and averted her eyes from her, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She could deal with being patient while Micha adjusted to being around her, possibly, were it not for Chris being around. Carol wasn’t in the mood to kiss Elfnein for the purpose of angering Chris, nor did she want to ask Elfnein for affection after being berated for misunderstanding someone again, even if it was just the cat.

She didn’t have to decide what to do, however, as Elfnein pulled her closer by the hand she was still holding, and put her other hand on Carol’s shoulder. She looked to the side, where Chris was filling the water dish properly now. “Chris-san?”

Chris looked up, and made a disgusted face, but didn’t say anything as if she were repulsed like she would if Carol were to have called her attention. “Yeah, I get the hint.”

“Thanks, Chris-san.” Elfnein turned back to Carol and smiled, waiting until the exact moment Chris shut the door behind her to move in and kiss her.

Carol was silenced, former protests forced back as she couldn’t do anything but think about Elfnein right in front of her, pulling away and leaving a gap between them that was rendered insignificant when Carol closed it herself immediately. Elfnein pulled her in closer, hand gripping hers tightly, and Carol wrapped her arms around Elfnein’s waist.

Elfnein stopped for breath, and asked Carol, “You’re okay with taking care of her?”

“Huh?” Carol’s mind rebooted, reminding her that just minutes ago, she was set with the responsibility of being a first-time cat owner. “Oh, yeah. I want her to like me more though, so you can’t give her any treats until she stops trying to scratch me.” A pause, and Carol worried she’d offended Elfnein by sounding too serious. “I’m kidding, she has to like you too or I won’t like her.”

Elfnein grinned at first, and then giggled at Carol’s clarification. “She should like you more, because she’s your cat now.”

It was the first real responsibility Carol had, aside from her responsibility to Elfnein. But Elfnein was just as human as her and could take care of herself, while a cat required care that only she was going to provide. “I won’t ask you for help unless I _really_ need it, then,” she promised her.

* * *

 

Micha was interested in playing with everything. Her toys, discarded papers and other various things pulled from the trash, and even shoes left at the doorway were decided to be acceptable for her to sink her teeth into. But no matter how much Carol tried, Micha wouldn’t take a toy she was holding.

“C’mon, _Michaaa._ ” Carol was lying on the floor on her stomach, waving the toy in front of her nose, but Micha always ducked away and found something else to play with.

“Look, there’s treats in this one.” Carol shook a hollow toy, rattling softly from the shrimp-flavored kibble inside, and Micha looked up at the sound, but only sniffed the toy where she knew Carol opened it to refill it. Carol rolled it across the floor and finally Micha chased it, now that she’d let go of it.

Carol was considering giving up the play session for now and would go back to reading, when the door opened. She pushed herself up on her elbows so Elfnein wouldn’t see her begging Micha to play with her, but nobody came through the doorway.

“Elfnein?” Carol pushed herself to one knee to stand, keeping an eye on Micha to make sure she didn’t run into the hall. Instead of Elfnein, or any other person, something covered in long, brown fur and almost as tall as she was while crouched down barreled at her. She tried to get her footing and move out of the way, but she was tackled back to the ground, and found herself buried under something heavy, jumpy, and was drooling on her.

“Carol?” She finally heard Elfnein’s voice, and was trying to shove the thing on her – it wouldn’t sit still long enough for her to identify it – away so that she could see the door again.

Elfnein and Hibiki appeared above her, Hibiki pulling the huge thing off of Carol by a jeans-patterned collar and freeing her so that she could stand and orient herself. “Is that a dog?” was all she could think to ask, the first of many, many questions.

“He needs a home!” Hibiki said, aggressively petting the side of his face and neck and only making him wiggle more. “And you said Micha-chan still won’t play with you.”

“But dogs are….” Carol looked at the beast, his shoulder level with her waist, smiling but flashing huge teeth. “He looks dangerous.”

“No look,” Hibiki said, sitting on the floor in front of the dog and pressing her nose to his. Carol gasped and her stomach sunk, thinking she was about to watch Hibiki lose her face, but he closed his mouth and licked her. “He’s just a big sweetheart.”

Elfnein took one of Carol’s hands and guided it down to his head, and Hibiki leaned out of the way so he could lick her fingers next. His tongue was wet, as expected, but smooth and weirdly squishy. She drew back when he got more enthusiastic, moving to her palm and wrist after mere seconds had passed.

Micha was off to the side, standing on her toes with her back arched and fur standing straight up, and gave a long hiss to the dog. “Is she okay?” Carol asked about her.

“She’s just scared, cats don’t like dogs.” Elfnein sat between Micha and the dog, motioning for Carol to sit next to her. “He’s excited to meet you,” she tried to say, stumbling around her words now that he was standing in her lap and licking her face.

“And he’ll definitely love you too, Carol-chan.” Hibiki held a hand up to guard her face from his tail, which was wagging too fast to see clearly.

It was hard to doubt that he would love her, but she found it hard to immediately love him. He left Elfnein’s lap to press his paws down on Carol, putting his nose in her face and sniffing loudly. Every time she leaned away, he got closer, until she was about to fall over.

“Is this normal?” she asked, having no frame of reference for what was normal behavior for a dog.

“Yep!” Hibiki was now out of the way of his frantic tail, now that he was in Carol’s face. “Do you want to keep him?”

If presented only with the idea of a hyper dog in her face all the time, Carol might have turned him away. But it felt nice to get this attention after weeks of Micha’s indifference, and he had even more fur than she did. After a moment’s consideration, she asked, “Can I keep him for a little while and then decide?”

“The shelter lets you have a dog for two weeks before you have to decide,” Hibiki explained, reaching up to pet him. “So you can tell Elfnein-chan if you change your mind and he’s too much.”

“Hibiki-san already paid his deposit, so you don’t need to worry about paying if you choose to take him,” Elfnein explained further.

“Elfnein-chan, that was a secret!” Hibiki gave a sheepish grin.

“You actually bought him for me?” Carol looked at him again, and his big smile that she saw between licks across her face, and immediately felt not just duty at accepting a gift, but in not wanting to let him down. She didn’t want such a happy thing to be hurt as much as she knew it did when someone didn’t love you back.

“Yeah, I thought you might really like having a dog around. And if you want to try a different one, the deposit carries over!”

“Wow…. Thanks.” Carol almost didn’t mumble that; something about Hibiki thinking about her happiness enough to bring her this dog made her really happy. She didn’t want to lose that feeling that came with being cared for, and knew the dog wouldn’t either. “I’m keeping him,” she decided.

* * *

When Hibiki told Carol that she thought Renner was an adult dog and was done growing, Carol believed her. She wanted to, and did, believe that Hibiki had good intentions when she did this. However, that didn’t change the fact that in just a few months, he’d put on almost 20 kilograms and had grown nearly 10 centimeters at the shoulder.

A change that was easier to adapt to was now that Carol had finally learned what made Micha want to play, she was willing to spend time with her, and she had long broken the record of time since the last scratch. The downside, she supposed, was now that Micha was comfortable with her, she would sit on her lap and trap Carol under her when she was busy. An acceptable tradeoff, however it caused inconveniences during times like at the moment, when Carol needed to finish doing the laundry.

With Renner asleep, and the clothes done in the dryer a long time ago, she decided she had to cave and lift Micha from her lap. “Go lay down with your brother,” she apologized as she set Micha down next to Renner, trying to ignore the brief annoyed stare Micha sent her before flopping down against Renner’s stomach.

Carol returned with a laundry basket full of clothes, setting them on the floor while she had to decide where she was supposed to fold them. In the few minutes it took her to make a round trip from the laundry room, the two had evacuated the dog bed, with Micha in her desk chair and Renner lying across so much of her and Elfnein’s bed that there wasn’t enough room to lay a shirt out.

“Renner, down boy.” Carol pointed at his bed on the floor, and he looked at her with a begging stare to please let him stay on her comfier bed, but when she didn’t change her mind, he rolled over to get his feet under him and jumped off to his own. When Renner was feeling calm, he took almost every command she gave him, while she was never able to motivate Micha to be as obedient.

With Renner off the bed, Carol was faced with the problem that it was covered in his long fur, and wasn’t a good surface to put clean clothes on. She left the basket unattended to fetch one of the many lint rollers, and turned around to find Renner out of bed with his face in the hamper.

“Renner, no! Bad!” Carol jogged to him and lunged to take away the pair of panties he was holding, but he danced away and wagged his tail. “Renner- come!” He stopped several feet away from her, ears up and head cocked, tail swishing back and forth as he waited for her next move. “If you come you’ll get a cookie.”

The word “treat” inspired his best behavior and he ran to sit at her feet. “Drop it.” He opened his mouth and smiled so that Carol could take the denim garment from him. “Now stay.” She walked away from him backwards, making sure he obeyed until she reached the container of treats. Micha ran to her as well, staying close to Carol’s feet as she chirped and begged for one of her own.

“Good boy.” Carol threw Renner a broken piece of dog biscuit, and scattered a few of Micha’s soft treats on the floor. With her pets placated, she began uninterrupted work of removing the fur from the bed. Renner did as told and stayed on the floor, laying prone so that Micha could hold his nose down and groom his face.

She crouched below the sink to put the roller away, now prepared to fold the laundry she’d worked on all day. A small gust ruffled the hair at the back of her head, and she looked behind her to see Renner sniffing her. “You could just go to your own bed,” she told him, turning around while still sitting to face him.

If he understood, he paid her no mind, and took several steps forward to stand in her lap before lying down and rolling over to show his stomach. “Only for a minute,” she warned, fully intending to stand up when she felt it was time to return to work. Renner definitely understood this, and rolled over once more, knocking Carol down completely and pinning her with his entire body.

“Hey- hey get off,” She said as she struggled under him. “Renner, _off._ ” Her command tone wasn’t working either, and all he did was smile and thump his tail against the floor.

He weighed more than she was capable of lifting now; despite her careful shoving, he wouldn’t budge. “Renner, get- _ng,_ off.” She threw herself back with a sigh when he pretended to not hear her. Micha sauntered over, taking a look at the pair and visibly thinking. “Go play with Micha,” she told Renner.

Instead of obtaining freedom, Micha head-butted Renner and received a small lick in return. Resigned to confinement under two clingy animals, one of which was approximately her size, she dug her fingers into Renner’s fur for a thorough scratching while she waited to be released.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Micha is a small standard all-black short-hair moggy. Renner is a Leonberger, which at six months old can be as big as an average large breed that's fully grown.


	15. DMJii - also busted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DL and Parme-tan wanted some of these two, based on one of the AXZ official arts. These children are growing up too fast. (Fic risque but not explicit, art in link nsfwish) https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DK_DpztX0AAWS04.jpg

Kirika woke up to a face full of hair and a familiar scent. She was uncoordinated and unable to think this soon after waking, but ingrained habit kept her from moving too much to stretch. Something against her chest moved, and she pulled it closer to her, knowing exactly who was there.

“Good morning, Kiri-chan,” Shirabe said, not sounding nearly as drowsy.

“Mor’in’.” It was too early for complete words. Kirika compensated with a kiss to the back of Shirabe’s head.

Shirabe shuffled around, turning herself to face Kirika and return the kiss. Eyes still closed, Kirika felt her way to hold Shirabe’s head, digging her fingers into her sleep-tangled hair. They laid still like that, Shirabe nuzzled into Kirika’s shoulder while Kirika rested her cheek against her the top of her head, when Shirabe said, “Don’t go back to sleep.”

“M’not.” She was dozing back off, but to prove that she wasn’t, she let go of Shirabe to stretch her arms upwards. “How long’ve you been ‘wake?”

“Not long.” Shirabe raised a hand to Kirika’s face, stroking her cheek and toying with her earlobe with a finger. “I haven’t heard anyone else awake yet.”

That was the only hint Kirika needed to wrap her arms around Shirabe again, holding her as tightly as she dared. Shirabe nestled closer to her, and Kirika held her a hair tighter, as they met with another kiss. Sleep shook itself from Kirika as her heart raced, pounding in her ears so loudly it almost drowned out the sound of Shirabe’s breathing. She tuned her ears to the soft gasps between kisses, the both of them too tired this early to not start so slowly.

Shirabe’s free hand travelled to Kirika’s thigh, both asking for and promising more as she drew her fingers in a small circle. Kirika responded by sliding a hand under Shirabe’s shirt, pulling her closer by the small of her back.

“So they’re still asleep?” Kirika asked in a voice quiet enough she wouldn’t be heard even if they were up. Maria and Tsubasa were down the hall in another room – separate rooms, according to Maria, but Kirika and Shirabe both knew she was lying to set an appropriate example that they didn’t need.

“I think so,” Shirabe answered, equally quiet. She leaned upwards to kiss Kirika again, and Kirika met her tongue eagerly. There was a lot Kirika loved about kissing, as she did anything that put her so close to Shirabe. But the way Shirabe breathed so hard, when she was normally so silent around others, was an experience unique to her. In this proximity, the sound was deafening.

Confident that she was awake enough to pay Shirabe the attention she deserved, Kirika reached for Shirabe’s hand, resting on her face still, to take it into her own. Shirabe followed her lead to lace their fingers, and Kirika’s opposite hand travelled up along Shirabe’s spine. She let out another heavy breath, pressing her mouth to Kirika’s the way she did when she was worried she was making too much noise with Maria around.

Kirika felt a rough patch on Shirabe’s upper back, and absently felt along the unusual texture while running her thumb along Shirabe’s. In an instant, Kirika’s mind snapped to full alertness, and heart felt like it stopped when it was beating so fast before. Her fingers quickly returned to the smooth, unmarred skin of Shirabe’s shoulder, and stayed there.

“Kiri-chan….” Shirabe sounded concerned; Kirika hoped she wouldn’t notice that, but there wasn’t a second lost after Kirika realized she’d been exploring Shirabe’s scar.

“Wh- what is it?” Kirika already knew what was wrong, and Shirabe gave her a look that told her that she knew, as well. “I….” She wanted to say she was sorry, but the constant apologies only depressed Shirabe. “Yeah.”

Kirika started to pull away when Shirabe twisted her arm behind her own back, holding Kirika’s hand in place. She drew her back to it, looking into Kirika’s eyes seriously.

The pair was silent, only staring at each other, Shirabe holding onto Kirika’s hand tighter as she began brushing her fingertips over the scar tissue again. It wasn’t the event Kirika wanted to forget, but Shirabe’s pain. She couldn’t forget what she did, or she might make a mistake just as bad in the future. What she regretted was that Shirabe had to get caught up in her mistake, and that her pain, not Kirika’s own, was the lesson.

Shirabe was the first to speak, whispering, “It bothers you more.”

Kirika was forced out of her daze with only four words. She refocused her gaze to really take in the concerned look Shirabe was giving her. All Kirika could do was sigh and give a small noise of affirmation, because Shirabe was right. It wasn’t fair of her to keep hanging on it, just because she couldn’t let it go.

Even if she weren’t the smarter of the pair, and didn’t do well in school, Kirika knew a lot about Shirabe. Kirika knew that Shirabe could cook better than anyone, she knew that Shirabe was more emotionally fragile than she let on, and Kirika knew how to take care of her. To take care of her, she couldn’t pretend that what happened to Shirabe affected herself more than the girl she loved that she almost – technically – killed.

Shirabe squeezed the hand she held and rubbed her fingertips on Kirika’s knuckles. “I love you, Kiri-chan.”

Kirika took her hand off the scar only to wrap that arm around Shirabe in a hug. Shirabe’s breath caught, and instantly Kirika released her grip, holding her loosely so that she wouldn’t crush her while caught up in sentimentality, and squeezed the hand she was already holding instead. “I love you so much,” Kirika said in return.

Shirabe held a finger to Kirika’s lips with a shushing noise. Kirika nodded, too overcome with affection to remember they were awake before the others, and in the middle of something. Kirika picked up where they left off, leaning her head down to kiss her again, deepening it immediately.

Letting go of Kirika’s hand on her back, Shirabe grabbed Kirika’s pajama top at the collar and pulled it towards her. Kirika found it hard to get closer than she already was, but she pressed her chest directly against Shirabe’s. Shirabe wriggled her forearm free from where it was trapped between them, holding Kirika’s sleeve now to keep her close, not that Kirika had any remote intention of leaving.

Kirika pushed her tongue deeper, drawing out those small, shallow sounds from Shirabe. She rolled over on top of Shirabe, settling herself into the position that now felt more natural than any other, where Kirika could put the most possible weight onto Shirabe without hurting her. Shirabe’s breath hitched, but Kirika was experienced enough to know it wasn’t a pained noise.

Something nudged against the inside of Kirika’s thigh, and without looking, she propped her back end up so Shirabe could get her knee between Kirika’s legs. Kirika didn’t waste time in pressing back down, letting out a heavy breath at the sensation. Shirabe bounced her leg up into her in time with the thrusting of Kirika’s hips.

“Shirabe….” Kirika moaned lowly, muffling herself against Shirabe’s mouth and doing the same for Shirabe in return. Balancing her upper body on only an elbow, Kirika’s hand that Shirabe wasn’t holding wandered to feel for her shoulder, pulling the strap of her top down.

There was a clicking noise behind them, and they only had enough time to freeze in place. Kirika sat up, whipping her head towards the door to see Maria, equally frozen.

The three were silent and tense, Maria’s jaw open and eyes wide. She stammered for a moment and said almost too quickly to understand, “I’m going to make breakfast.”

While Kirika and Shirabe were still recovering, Maria turned and slammed the door behind her. Kirika couldn’t understand Tsubasa’s calm words from behind the closed door, but Maria’s cry of, “But they’re so _young,_ Tsubasa!” was all too clear.

The only words Kirika’s brain could send to her mouth was, “It’s not like you haven’t done it too, Maria!” Tsubasa and Maria were walking away, but Kirika could still hear Maria’s shuddering groan.

Kirika looked down at Shirabe, blushing redder than she might have ever seen her. Being brought out of the passionate actions made them too aware of their current position, and the tension weighed on Kirika’s back. Shirabe slowly lowered her leg, gulping as she finally pulled her eyes back to Kirika.

“We should…” Kirika licked her lips, now too embarrassed to move, but embarrassed to continue pinning Shirabe down as well. “Breakfast soon.”

Shirabe nodded, stunned into apparent speechlessness. In one motion too fast for her to overthink, Kirika flopped over to lay on her side next to Shirabe. “I love you,” Kirika said, salvaging what little romance she could.

Not letting go of Kirika’s hand, Shirabe returned, “I love you too, Kiri-chan.”


End file.
